(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
Alabama basketball is the talk of T-Town with less than a week to the tipoff of the 2024-25 regular season, but so is freshman Labaron Philon.
Fans in Baumhauer’s Victory Grille on Wednesday clapped for the four-star recruit before he took the stage for his first appearance on weekly radio show “Hey Coach”.
It wasn’t the first time Philon has drawn applause this year, though.
Host Chris Stewart had the rook on to let fans hear about his Alabama experience so far, and it was exactly what you’d expect to hear from a kid who has found himself in the starting rotation twice straight out of high school.
Alabama basketball freshman Labaron Philon makes first ‘Hey Coach’ appearance
“Ever since I got back, I’ve just been enjoying the process and just living in the moment,” the Mobile native said.
Head coach Nate Oats has spent the preseason offering gleaming reviews of Philon, who played his final season of varsity basketball at Link Academy, expecting Philon to see “significant” minutes for Alabama.
So far, the 6-foot-4, 177-pound forward has lived up to the hype. Against Wake Forest, Philon had 13 points, four rebounds and five assists.
On Monday against Memphis, he showed his versatility as a passer, racking up a team-best seven assists with 17 points, five rebounds, a block and a steal. That won him the coveted hard hat.
Four-star recruit finds success on veteran-stacked roster
“I’m just trying to stand out as much as I can,” Philon said.
Philon believes he’s found early success on a veteran-laden roster because he knows “it’s not all about scoring.
“You can do other things on the court to impact the game,” Philon said.
His scoring numbers aren’t quite as high as the 35 points per game he averaged when he was named Mr. Basketball as a junior at Baker High in 2023. Having averaged 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game as a junior, he’s doing more than alright in his first tastes of Division I action.
“When we first got here, we competed against each other,” Philon said, calling it a “good” thing to experience trying to guard guys like SEC Preseason Player of the Year Mark Sears upon arriving to campus.
The more his older teammates saw his skill on defense, Philon said he gained confidence.
“It’s good that those guys can trust me to go out there and get a stop,” he said.
As sidelined starters like Grant Nelson (abdomen) and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (lower leg), plus highly touted transfer Chris Youngblood (ankle), return from injury, Philon could be playing off of the bench for the Crimson Tide. Based on what he’s shown so far, he’ll make an impact, no matter how much time he gets on the floor.
Alabama opens nonconference play at 8 p.m. on Nov. 4 against UNC-Asheville.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
