Austin’s Sears Waiting Until Spring To Sign

Ivan McDowell, Southeast/Mid-South Editor

January 24, 2007 - Austin High (AL) senior point guard LaJay Sears traveled last summer with the Alabama Lasers AAU squad and played well on a team that featured D-1 prospects Bawa Muniri, Frankie Sullivan and current Alabama A&M point guard Trant Simpson.

Sears, a 6’1 point guard, plays in the shadow of Alabama signee Rico Pickett, who stars for rival Decatur High (AL). While not as flashy as Pickett, Sears can be explosive and is more of a true point guard than a scorer. That’s not to say Jay can’t fill it up when necessary.

During this summer’s Nike Peach Jam, Jay posted impressive numbers in points, assists and steals in the five games in North Augusta, SC.

A pass first PG capable of scoring, Sears will wait until the spring to decide upon a school. (Picture courtesy of I.McDowell)

At that invitation-only event, Sears averaged 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals, while the Lasers finished 1-4. Jay’s best performance of the tourney was a 21-point, four rebound, and five assist game against The Family - the Michigan based travel club featured Michigan signee Corperyale Harris and Michigan State commit Durrell Summers.

If spectators weren’t convinced of Sears’ ability to play this game, they found out in the Lasers final contest, as Jay posted 14 against Tyreke Evans’ Team Final squad.

Jay has the innate ability to slice in and out of traffic using his quick first step and a deft handle to get by defenders for easy baskets.

“I look to penetrate and get my teammates involved and then look to score for myself”, said Sears, who is receiving overtures from South Alabama, UAB, Ole Miss, Murray State and Tennessee Tech. Jay has no favorite at this present time, but the Racers and Jaguars (Murray State and South Alabama, respectfully) have offered.

All of these programs would be fortunate to secure the services of this pass-first point guard and total team player for next season, but there is plenty of time left in his senior campaign for Sears’ Black Bears to make a run towards a state championship.

Coach Demond Garths’ Austin squad is currently 11-6 on the season, coming off a tough defeat to area rival Bob Jones High. LaJay led the Black Bear attack with 22 points, showing off his considerable skills on both offense and defense. Despite his continued effort, Jay knows in order to play at the next level there are areas in which he must improve.

“I handle the ball a lot, so I’ve got to keep working on my dribbling and ball skills. Defensively I can always improve, but I think my ability to play the passing lanes is a big asset and my steals lead to a lot of easy baskets.”

Sears’ complete offense repertoire will come into view as he improves his jumper and gets a little stronger physically. Right now he’s at about 6'2", 165 pounds, and will need to add muscle to handle the rigors of collegiate basketball next season.

As for now, Sears is a top guard in the area, but could become one of the best guards in the south, not just in Alabama, when it’s all said and done.