Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden famously said that when it comes to motivating players, the bench is a coach's best friend. Alabama coach Nate Oats wasn't even a year old when Wooden retired in 1975, but some 50 years later, he took that lesson to heart in the most profound way imaginable on Saturday night.
It's unclear what exactly Mark Sears did, or didn't do, to earn a second-half benching from Oats in the Crimson Tide's 80-73 home win over LSU . But this much is crystal clear: when you sit one of the nation's elite point guards in a closely contested conference game, you grab the team's full attention. Because if Oats will bench the team's senior leader and best player, he'll bench anyone at any time if he doesn't like what he sees on the floor, or off it.
ROSTER NEWS: Nate Oats says redshirt 'still' in talks for Alabama basketball's Houston Mallette
HIGHLIGHTS: Alabama basketball vs LSU updates and highlights
That's never a bad message to send.
Following the game, Oats declined to specify why the SEC's Preseason Player of the Year, after playing 17 minutes in the first half, rode the bench for the final 20 minutes. Sears was plainly bothered by it, visibly emotional in a few brief moments, and drawing a consoling hug from a couple of teammates. He also had some animated conversation with UA assistant coach Preston Murphy on the bench while teammates, for most of the second half, clung to a fairly slim lead.
"I'll just say this, and then I'm not going to talk (further) about playing time stuff," Oats said. "We went with the guys in the second half who we thought gave us the best chance to win this game. And we won the game, and our defense was significantly better than the first half, and we haven't done that very often this year."
Sears' 17 first-half minutes were pretty much right on pace for his per-game average of 33, but they weren't 17 minutes to remember. He shot 0 for 5 from the floor, but Oats was concerned about something other than whether his shot was falling. Earlier this year, Sears was held scoreless in 21 minutes against Illinois , and Alabama not only overcame Sears' off night for a win, it scored 100 points without him.
But this was different. This was disciplinary.
In Sears' absence, guard Aden Holloway delivered a team-high 19 points, which is precisely Sears' per-game average. LSU beat Alabama consistently for rebounds in the first half, leading to a 40-40 tie at the break. The Crimson Tide began rebounding better in the second half, however, as center Cliff Omoruyi grabbed seven of his nine rebounds in the final 20 minutes. Between better rebounding and stiffer defense, UA found a way to improve to 17-3 and 6-1 in SEC play without its offensive catalyst.
Meanwhile, Oats, who has been lamenting his team's inability to play consistent defense for a full 40 minutes, found a catalyst of his own.
The seat on the end.
Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball's Oats has team's full attention with Sears benching
