Alabama star guard Labaron Philon Jr. announced his surprise return to the program for his sophomore year in May just before the deadline to remain in the NBA Draft.
His return filled the team’s need for proven guard play in the SEC, and he will likely assume many of the point guard duties for the team in 2025-26. He spoke to the media at SEC Tipoff 2026 about having embraced a leadership role this season after receiving feedback from scouts throughout the NBA Draft process.
“That’s most of all the feedback I got, being more of a leader,” Philon said. “Trying to see if I can run a team at a young age, just being more of a communicator and talking more to teammates. I’m making sure that I’m doing a good job of that, and coach Oats really gets on me about that a lot. I’m really just trying to develop more in that role and get comfortable.”
After the program lost multiple key producers at guard, Philon worked on improving his 3-point shot and shot selection. He shot 31.5% from beyond the arc in 2024-25, and NBA teams wanted to see him improve from deep.
“It’s really just more about confidence and knowing when to take the right off-the-dribble or catch-and-shoot shot,” Philon said.
In addition to Philon are other experienced guards who will look to make an impact. Third-year guard Aden Holloway could see an expanded role this season, while Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Houston Mallette, both returning from injury, could bring a potent threat from beyond the arc.
“We have a lot of guards that can play at a really high level,” Philon said. “The frontcourt — the three bigs that we have now — it’s perfect for the way we play. We want to get guys open, attack the paint, and have shooting bigs to spread the opponent out.”
Despite being ranked preseason No. 15, Philon believes this team can continue the success that Oats has had in his tenure at Alabama in a big way.
“This team could be really special,” Philon said. “We got a lot of guys that want to be here and want to be on this team, and a lot of guys believe in Coach Oats and what he says. I think if we keep building on that, we’re going to be such a great team, and it’s going to be hard to stop us.”
No. 15 Alabama will hold a preseason exhibition contest against Florida State on Thursday at Boutwell Auditorium, with tip-off slated for 7 p.m. CT. The team opens the regular season at home, hosting the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Coleman Coliseum on Nov. 3.
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