College Basketball Player's Mom Going Viral Friday Night
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 22: Mark Sears #1 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts against the Charleston Cougars during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on March 22, 2024 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The NCAA Tournament hasn't officially tipped off until the parent of a college basketball player starts to go viral in the stands.
Well, Friday night finally brought that moment. As Alabama squared off against the College of Charleston in a 4-seed vs. 13-seed showdown, the mother of an Alabama player started making headlines.
Star guard Mark Sears stepped up to the free throw line and cameras immediately found his mom in the stands. Why?
Well, she mimics his shooting motion while he's at the line - and then gets in her defensive stance when Charleston brings the ball up the floor as if she's on the team.
Check it out.
The Tuscaloosa News wrote all about Sears' mom, Lameka.
“I don’t care if we’re down 100 points,” Lameka said. “If he’s on the line, I’m on the line.”
She’s not kidding. As her son shoots free throws, Lameka always stands up and goes through the motions from the stands, too. She’s been doing that since Mark was playing rec league basketball. It just has never drawn the same level of exposure as now; Lameka has gotten frequent TV time throughout a season in which her son put together an effort that earned him consensus second-team All-American recognition.
Sears made it clear he loves the support he receives from his mom.
“It’s a blessing because not too many people can be in that type of situation,” Mark said. “To have my mom be there to support me every game, it’s something that I’m always going to be grateful for.”
Alabama currently leads Charleston 42-32 in the first half - and Sears leads all scorers with 16 points.
