Labaron Philon’s draft status is by far the biggest storyline surrounding Alabama basketball heading into the summer. The starting guard declared for the NBA Draft last month but has until May 28 to withdraw his name and return to the Crimson Tide.

Upon declaring for the draft, Philon said he was fully focused on turning pro. However, he left the door open for a possible return to the Tide during an interview last week.

During an appearance at the Senior Bowl Charities Celebrity Golf Classic in Mobile, Alabama, head coach Nate Oats provided an update on Philon’s status at the moment.

"We're getting really good feedback from the NBA,” Oats said, via AL.com. “He's got to go to the combine. He's got to test well. He's got to do well in the workouts. From what I'm hearing, I think he's going to get drafted. Shoot, it will be a great success story. He comes in, he's not on anybody's draft board, he plays well for us and ends up getting drafted after a year with us. That's the plan right now."

Philon started 29 games over 37 appearances during his freshman season last year. The 6-foot-4, 177-pound guard averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 45.2% from the floor and 31.5% from beyond the arc. He also led the team with 1.4 steals per game.

ESPN ranked Philon as the No. 47 overall player in this year’s draft, while most projections have the Mobile, Alabama native landing somewhere either late in the first round or early in the second round should he elect to go pro.

"He needs to turn himself into a little bit better shooter, but he's not a bad shooter," Oats said, via AL.com. "He can score it at a high level. And he's young. His shot is good. With the reps that he'll put in, he'll turn himself into a really good shooter. He's got all the other stuff [the NBA] is looking for."

Last week, Philon was invited to the NBA Draft combine along with former teammates Mark Sears and Grant Nelson. The combine will be held May 11-18 in Chicago. The feedback Philon receives from teams at the showcase will likely go a long way toward determining his draft decision.

According to a report from On3, Philon is hoping to see if he can raise his stock to the top 15-20 range before making his draft decision. The guard also indicated last week that NIL won’t be a deciding factor in the process.

Philon was invited last week to the NBA draft combine, which will be held May 11-18 in Chicago, along with former teammates Mark Sears and Grant Nelson.

“I would say, it's not about the NIL or the money, just for me," he told The SchuZ Show. “It's about do you want to go back and play for that school and do you want to chase your dream and play with the big guys?”

Alabama has 11 scholarship players committed for next year’s roster, two below the NCAA limit. Philon’s return would increase that number to 12. Regardless of that decision, Oats appears pleased with how his roster is coming together heading into the summer.

“We're gonna have a really good shooting team -- maybe the best shooting team we've had since I've been there," Oats said via AL.com. ‘There's shooting everywhere. Our bigs can shoot. Everybody in the front court. Really, there's not a non-shooter on the floor. We have should have shooting everywhere. Our defense is gonna have to get a little bit better, but we're gonna have good versatility and good shooting next year.”