Alabama basketball receives commitment from Labaron Philon

Alabama basketball is adding another talented guard to next season’s roster. After being released from his letter of intent to Kansas, Rivals100 guard Labaron Philon committed to the Crimson Tide on Sunday. Philon, a Mobile, Alabama native, is rated as the No. 37 overall player and No. 6 point guard in this year’s class. He will have four years of eligibility with the Tide.

Philon was originally one of three top-40 recruits in Kansas’ signing class this year. However, that was before the Jayhawks bolstered their backcourt by adding Riley Kugel (Florida), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) and A.J. Storr (Wisconsin) from the transfer portal. After visiting Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Philon will be part of an Alabama signing class that includes a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans in forwards Derrion Reid and Aiden Sherrell as well as four-star forward Naasir Cunningham.

Philon led Link Academy (Missouri) to a top-10 national ranking and a semifinal appearance at the Chipotle Nationals. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound point guard averaged 11.7 points and 4.3 assists in 12 games on the EYBL Scholastic circuit, shooting better than 44% from 3-point range. During his junior season at Mobile’s Baker High School, Philon averaged 35.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game, shooting 52% from the floor and 34% from beyond the arc.

Along with Philon and its three other freshman signees, Alabama has also added a trio of guards from the transfer portal, including Aden Holloway (Auburn), Houston Mallette (Pepperdine) and Chris Youngblood (South Florida).

The Crimson Tide has also experienced several departures from last year’s Final Four run. Aaron Estrada ran out of eligibility following the season. Meanwhile, six former Alabama players entered the transfer portal, including Davin Cosby, Rylan Griffen, Kris Parker, Nick Pringle, Mo Wague and Sam Walters.

Tuesday, Alabama guard Latrell Wrightsell announced he is returning to the team for his senior season. The Tide is still waiting on a draft decision from Mark Sears who entered the draft with the possibility of returning.

Guards

*Mark Sears — One year

Latrell Wrightsell Jr. — One year

Houston Mallette — One year

Chris Youngblood — One year

Aden Holloway — Three years

Labaron Philon — Four years

Forwards

Grant Nelson — One year

Jarin Stevenson — Three years

Mouhamed Dioubate — Three years

Derrion Reid — Four years

Aiden Sherrell – Four years

Naas Cunningham — Four years

*awaiting draft decision

Alabama basketball analyst Jordan Harper gives his take on the Crimson Tide's newest addition:

Labaron Philon is a 6-foot-4 combo guard who has the potential to become a lead guard at the Power 5 level. He’s got tremendous end-to-end speed and is a very gifted scorer. I’ve watched him for three years and he’s improved each season. He needs to work on getting stronger and decision making, but those are coachable attributes. Look for him to be a key depth piece at the point guard or shooting guard position.