By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The 2022-23 University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball team received a backcourt boost today as second-year head coach Ryan Ridder announced the signing of Jordan Sears.
A 5-11, 175-pound guard, Sears will have three years of eligibility as a Skyhawk. He played in 57 games (24 starts) under head coach Tim Craft over two seasons at Gardner-Webb University, pouring in 493 points (8.6 per game), 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest while shooting 81 percent (102-for-126) from the free throw line.
“Jordan is a physical guard that can play on and off the ball,” Ridder said. “We are excited about his toughness, playmaking and scoring ability. Skyhawk fans will love to watch Jordan play.”
Last season, Sears helped the Runnin’ Bulldogs to an 18-13 record and 11-5 mark in Big South Conference play. He averaged 8.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per outing, cracking double figures in the scoring column on 10 different occasions. His season-high of 17 points came in just 23 minutes against Western Carolina on Nov. 27, shooting 7-of-13 from the field with a season-high three 3-pointers.
Sears nearly secured a double-double (10 points, career-best eight rebounds) in only 25 minutes at Campbell on Feb. 9. He also posted 15 points and a career-high six assists at NC Central on Dec. 15 before an impressive 16 points (behind a season-best 6-of-7 effort from the free throw line) in the Big South Tournament semifinals against Winthrop on March 5. He also collected eight multi-steal games, including a career-high three swipes against UNC Asheville on Feb. 23.
As a freshman, Sears was responsible for 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in just 21.7 minutes per game, shooting 39.8 percent (37-for-93) from three-point range and 85.1 percent (40-of-47) from the free throw line. He piled up 11 double-digit scoring performances (all in the final 17 games) – including a career-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the Big South Tournament quarterfinals against Campbell on March 1. He also pumped in 18 points (on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range) to go along with a season-best five assists against High Point on Jan. 30 and 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting against Winthrop on Jan. 9.
That high-scoring output highlighted a late season surge for Sears, who also scored 18 points with a season-high seven rebounds at USC Upstate on Feb. 22. He accounted for six multi-steal performances – including a career-best six swipes on Jan. 25 against Charleston Southern.
A Daytona Beach, Fla. native, Sears was a prep standout at Mainland High School under head coach Joe Giddens. Sears won Daytona News Journal Player of the Year accolades twice, becoming the first player in school history to accomplish that feat since eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter in 1994 and 1995.
Sears tallied 1,454 points in his last three high school seasons alone, capped off with averages of 20.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game as a senior. The Daytona News Journal spotlighted him as a three-time All-Area honoree and Area Player of the Year in 2019, the same season he was named a Class 7A all-state first team selection by the Associated Press. Playing for one of the best high school programs in Florida, he had several big games – including a 30-point effort against Osceola and a near triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists against Naples.
Sears joins Jalen Myers (Madison, Ala./Hinds CC) and Desmond Williams (Montgomery, Ala./Troy) in UT Martin’s 2022-23 signing class.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information