TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama basketball had three players finish with double figures in its 83-75 win over Creighton on Saturday. One of the performances was from a usual suspect, Crimson Tide leading scorer Mark Sears, who had 27 points in his best performance of the season.
The others were a pair of high-level freshmen who have looked like anything but wide-eyed rookies in their first season at the college level. Guard Labaron Philon was Alabama’s second-leading scorer with 16 points. Forward Derrion Reid chipped in off the bench with 12.
The pair’s success against another quality opponent isn’t a surprise. Rather it's the result of what happens when two players put in the work to get comfortable with playing both within Alabama’s intense system and at the required level it takes to be successful in the SEC.
Philon has averaged 15.3 points in the last three games and has stuffed the stat sheet in other areas on top of his scoring. He had five rebounds, two assists and two steals against Creighton. His ability to embrace being a pesky guard on the defensive end helped Alabama bottle up Creighton veteran guard Steven Ashworth for large portions of Saturday’s game and validated the mature mentality he shared when asked about how he’s been able to find success recently.
“Not really focused on scoring coming into the game,” Philon said. “Just losing yourself in the game and just mainly focusing on defense. Mainly focused on getting stops and trying to get steals and be active and it just leads to runouts, points and easy buckets.”
Reid shared the same mentality when asked about his own success for Alabama. Tide coach Nate Oats has continued to preach the mantra of getting lost in the game to his young stars and both Philon and Reid have taken it to heart.
Along with Philon, Reid is one of the Tide’s most versatile players when he’s at his best. His 12 points Saturday was a new season high after he had 11 in Alabama’s last game, a 94-79 road win over North Carolina. Reid is a strong defender and his versatility allowed him to defend against both Creighton guards and forwards, helping the Tide force 13 turnovers which led to 16 points.
Reid has also been a monster on the glass for Alabama. He snagged two of his four rebounds on the offensive end Saturday and he’s averaging just under four per game so far this season. His aggressiveness in the paint and upside in multiple areas on the floor is a tantalizing prospect for the Tide as Reid continues to grow.
“There was a day in practice between the Carolina and this game where he was the best offensive rebounder on the team, shoot one of the best offensive rebounders in the country,” Oats said. “If we can get that energy and that effort in those intangible plays, He can be a great defender. He can be a great offensive rebounder. He can be a great slasher. He’s a good shooter when he takes the right shots. There’s a lot of stuff he does that can kind of fill the stat sheet. So, we’re just gonna keep bringing him along but I thought he was pretty good. I’m looking at his offensive leverage, we were actually better with him in the game offensively. So he made some stuff happen tonight.”
Philon and Reid still have room to grow as Alabama wraps up its final three non-conference games and builds to SEC play. The key for both players is their lack of complacency and mindset to get lost in games and not let the moment get too big.
Saturday's win over Creighton was another showcase of why Oats wanted Philon and Reid at Alabama. Their dedication to developing their talents over the next few months will be what determines if the pair can go from Tuscaloosa to the pros, and how they'll continue helping Alabama to hard-earned victories in what is shaping up to be an outstanding Southeastern Conference.
“They’re gonna make some mistakes on the defensive end and we’ve just gotta keep teaching them and getting better,” Oats said. "But I think their intensity, their effort, their want-to is at a really high level and that goes a long ways. So proud of both of those guys tonight.”
