Justin Sears (born January 3, 1994) is an American/British
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
Yale Bulldogs
The Yale Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school sponsors 35 varsity sports. The school has won two NCAA national championships in women's fencing, four in ...
Justin was born to Ryan and Lorna Sears and brought up in
Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."
. He and his younger brother, Jordan, began playing tennis at age four, and his experience with the sport helped his footwork. Jordan started playing basketball in sixth grade, and Justin began playing for fun with the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) at around the same time. Justin competed at a higher level in eighth grade, after his father's friend encouraged him to play in a league in Plainfield. The Sears brothers later competed for both the basketball and tennis teams at Plainfield High School. Their wingspans helped them excel as a doubles tennis team. Even though he played sports for Plainfield, Justin officially attended the
Academy for Information Technology
The Union County Academy for Information Technology (UC-AIT) is a full-time four-year public high school located in Scotch Plains, in Union County, New Jersey, United States, on the Union County Vocational Technical Schools Campus. The school ...
Union County Vocational Technical Schools
The Union County Vocational-Technical Schools (UCVTS) are a grouping of schools on the Union County Vocational Technical Schools Campus in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, United States, which offers educational programs for students across Union C ...
.
High school career
As a basketball player at Plainfield High School, Sears finished with historical numbers of 1,048 points and 1,063 rebounds. He became the second player in school history to record over 1,000 in each category. In his sophomore season, Sears helped Plainfield make a postseason run, and in turn, drew the attention of colleges. As his junior season came to a close, he began receiving offers from
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
schools. As a senior, Sears averaged 13.4 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.2 blocks, and he garnered first team all-state, all-area and all-county accolades. During his time with Plainfield, he led his team to two New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group III titles. He also appeared in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions championship game two times, losing to St. Anthony High School on both occasions.
College career
On October 29, 2011, Sears committed to play
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
with the
Bulldogs
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose. He commented, "Four years ago if you told me I was going to Yale, I would have started laughing at you. But looking at it now, it's a great opportunity that's been given to me." While at Yale, he was named Ivy League Player of the Year twice (2015, 2016). During his senior year he led the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Tournament in 54 years. During the Tournament, he helped lead the Bulldogs to an upset victory over Baylor in the first round before falling to
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
in the second round.
Professional career
Sears signed with
Gießen 46ers
The JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers (formerly GIESSEN 46ers) is a professional basketball club based in Gießen, Germany, that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga. Their home arena is Sporthalle Gießen-Ost, with a capacity of 4,003 people.
History
The ...
in June 2016. On July 12, 2017, Sears signed with
MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg
Riesen Ludwigsburg ( en, Giants Ludwigsburg), for sponsorship reasons MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, is a professional basketball club that is based in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The club currently plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first tier of ...
of the German Basketball Bundesliga for the 2017–18 season. On November 28, 2018 Sears signed with
EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Baskets Oldenburg, for sponsorship reasons EWE Baskets Oldenburg, is a professional basketball club that is based in the city of Oldenburg, Germany. The club plays in the Bundesliga. The club's name is derived from the team's main sponsor EWE AG ...
. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game during the 2019–20 season. On July 26, 2020, Sears parted ways with the team.
On August 14, 2020, Sears signed with s.Oliver Würzburg.
Sears attended high school at The Academy For Information Technology in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. With the Plainfield High School basketball team, he was known to read books and do his homework in the locker room. He often prioritized his academics over his athletics, despite receiving offers from several
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...
colleges. While finding a college, Sears tried to find a school that stood out both academically and in its athletics programs, with a professional basketball career being uncertain. In order for Justin to attend
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
, the Sears family had to pay about $54,000 per year. At Yale, Sears has taken
environmental politics
Environmental politics designate both the politics about the environment (see also environmental policy) and an academic field of study focused on three core components:Carter, Neil. 2007. ''The Politics of the Environment: Ideas, Activism, Polic ...
and law classes. As of March 2016, his major is undeclared, although he has previously shown interest in economics.