Alabama men’s basketball didn’t put Labaron Philon in the starting lineup for the North Dakota game.
Instead, Jarin Stevenson and Derrion Reid had spots next to Mark Sears, Grant Nelson and Clifford Omoruyi. Sears, Nelson and Omoruyi are all regular starters, but Stevenson and Reid are not.
Even though he’s a freshman, Philon has been a starter in seven of 11 games this season.
Why didn’t Philon start in Grand Forks?
“That wasn’t a basketball decision,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said Friday. “That was an off the court, minor deal. He’s just got to clean some stuff up. There’s no basketball, X and O decision on that one.”
Philon might not have started, but he still received notable minutes. He finished with 24 minutes, the same as he had in the Creighton game. In those 24 minutes against the Fighting Hawks, Philon tallied 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals with no turnovers. His efforts helped Alabama outlast North Dakota 97-90.
Philon will likely return to being a regular in the starting lineup as soon as Sunday when Alabama faces Kent State at noon at Coleman Coliseum. He, Sears, Nelson and Omoruyi will likely be the four regulars in the starting lineup from here on out. The last spot in the starting lineup is still up for discussion and something that Alabama is figuring out.
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
