Homecoming King: Alabama Lands Top In-State Talent, 4-star Guard Labaron Philon
Labaron Philon, a four-star point guard, declared his commitment to Alabama on social media on Sunday. Native of Mobile, Alabama, Philon spent three seasons as a player at Baker High, where he finished second in Class 7A Player of the Year twice and was named Mr. Basketball in 2023. Philon finished with 2,334 career points.
He attended the prestigious prep school Link Academy (Mo.) for his senior year, where he guided the team to a semifinal finish at the Chipotle Nationals and a top-10 national ranking. Playing for Team Thad, which was established by NBA star Thaddeus Young, Philon averaged 11.7 points and 4.3 assists in 12 games on the EYBL scholastic circuit, the top AAU national event.
After many transfer portal additions to the Jayhawks squad, including former Alabama player Rylan Griffen, five days ago, Philon—who is ranked No. 3 point guard and the 33rd player nationally—asked to withdraw his sign of commitment. Coach Nate Oats and crew made Philon, who had committed to Auburn before Kansas, a priority right away, and he finished his visit on Saturday.
Now that Philon has joined the Tuscaloosa backcourt, it has been completely redesigned. The new players include Chris Youngblood (South Florida), Aden Holloway (Auburn), Houston Mallette (Pepperdine), returner Latrell Wrightsell Jr., and possibly Mark Sears, who has until May 29 to choose whether to stay in the NBA Draft or go back to school.
Labaron Philon highlights vs. Prolific from earlier this month.pic.twitter.com/UtQUv8DImT
— Alabama Roundball (@BamaRoundball) April 27, 2024
With Philon’s dedication, Alabama now has 12 scholarship athletes. The athlete may attest to the priority goal. Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi started his formal visit to Alabama early on Sunday morning. According to 247Sports, Alabama currently possesses the nation’s second-best recruiting class—its highest ranking since the Oats era.
What does this mean for Alabama?
At 6 feet 4 inches and 170 pounds, Philon is an explosive guard who focuses on finishing in the paint and attacking downhill. While Philon was a mediocre 3-point shooter during his first three years of high school, including averaging 35 points per game as a junior at Baker, he shot 44 percent on the EYBL circuit last summer, suggesting a bigger ceiling in that area. Under Oats, Philon will be able to continue improving as a shooter while also being able to play in transition and assault the paint, which is a key component of Alabama’s game plan.
In defense, where Alabama has struggled, Philon’s size will be a plus. Though he will need to put on weight, his broad shoulders and long arms make him a different body type from Holloway and Sears, who are both about 6 feet tall. With his athleticism and high school theft rate of over two steals per game, Philon should be a strong defensive player against Power 5 guards.
We are still waiting for the Sears judgment. Meanwhile, Oats adds five-star recruit Holloway from the previous cycle, and adds Philon, a top-35 prospect, to strengthen that position. Naas Cunningham, Aiden Sherrell, Derrion Reid, and Philon are the other top 50 prospects from the 2024 class. Reid and Sherrell were teammates at Prolific Prep in California during their high school years, and Reid and Philon were teammates on Team Thad during the EYBL, so they already have a good degree of familiarity. This outstanding group of high school players is more evidence that Oats’ system is among the best in the nation, and Alabama now has a Final Four berth to offer.
The choice of forward Grant Nelson, who has not formally announced whether he is staying at Alabama or entering the draft, rests elsewhere on the roster; the deadline was this Saturday at midnight. On Monday, the official roster of draft participants will be made public.
(Photo: Gary Cosby Jr. / USA Today)