Alabama’s ‘Bad Guy’ Labaron Philon Jr. Delivers in March Madness Takeover

TAMPA — Tattooed up and down Labaron Philon Jr.’s left arm are detailed pictures of horror movie villains. Michael Myers is there, as is Chucky and the ghostface killer from Scream. Inscribed in between them are two words: Bad Guy.

Philon certainly played the part of villain Friday, taking over in the second half for No. 4-seeded Alabama to foil an upset bid from No. 13 seed Hofstra and putting on one of the most electrifying performances of the NCAA men’s tournament to date in the process. His final stat line: 29 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals, with 21 of those 29 coming after halftime. That helped the Crimson Tide finally get some separation after trailing by 10 early and entering the halftime locker room up just two. Philon simply wasn’t going to let Alabama’s March Madness run end early.

“Labaron told me he wasn't going home,” head coach Nate Oats said.

Alabama has become a fixture in the later rounds of the Big Dance under Oats, going three straight second weekends with a Final Four in 2024 mixed in. If you’re bullish on the Tide making yet another deep run in this tournament, the argument likely starts and ends with Philon, who has as strong a case as anyone to be considered college basketball’s best point guard. And Friday’s second half was a perfect illustration of what makes him so special, a dazzling display of difficult drives, clutch three-point shooting and impressive playmaking for others. Philon completely commanded the game and got just about everything he wanted whenever he wanted it. The lone exception was a missed front end one-and-one in the final two minutes that prevented him from a 30-point day, though he insists the reason he was looking up at the scoreboard before that shot was to check his chances at a 10-rebound day or even a triple-double.

Philon’s 11th-hour reversal of course from staying in the NBA draft last May to returning for a second year at Alabama has turned out to be one of the most consequential moves anywhere in the sport this season. For much of the draft process, Philon was all in on being a one-and-done, even telling reporters at the NBA draft combine in Chicago that he had closed the door on a return to Tuscaloosa. A Mobile, Ala., native, Philon has mentioned multiple times his appreciation for the chance to continue to wear the Alabama ‘A’ on his chest, especially after his close dalliance with a pro pivot last spring. The urgency to not let the journey end early was on full display with that aforementioned speech to Oats in the first half, and his performance in the second certainly backed that up.

“It has been a surreal feeling, ever since I came back,” Philon says. “I never take that for granted. It was one decision at the last moment, but it really changed my life. I’m just pouring everything I got into this for Alabama basketball.”

Elite point guard play has been a staple at Alabama under Oats, but amazingly Philon stands alone statistically with his 21.7 point-per-game average. But ask what separates him from the other elite point guards Oats has coached, and the Tide’s head man didn’t shout out his speed or shot creation or talent. Instead, he pointed to the joy Philon plays with.

“He has so much fun playing,” Oats says. “Sometimes you want him to rein it in … but you don’t want to take his joy of playing the game away from him.”

It’s a joy, Philon says, that comes from when he first started the game in his mom’s backyard. He has never been the biggest guard, but laughs that the physicality teams throw at him in college is nothing compared to how his brothers used to treat him on the floor.

“[Them] pushing me around, throwing me on the ground, throwing me in the dirt, it really just built up that motivation,” Philon says. “It’s really just like, I get on the floor and I see the bright lights and it’s just the same as it [was] in the backyard.”

Philon got beat up some Friday, with a bandage on his chin the majority of the game after an early bump. He looked no worse for wear though once his game really got going, putting on one of his most special performances in a season full of them.

“He’s capable of doing just about everything out there,” Oats says.

This is a flawed Alabama team, one that has been thin in the frontcourt all season and now isn’t at full strength this tournament after Aden Holloway’s arrest and subsequent removal from the team. To go far in this tournament, it might take a Kemba Walker–esque run from Philon to will the Tide deep into March. Showings like his opening act Friday though make clear that the sophomore has what it takes to do just that.

“Yeah, I think he does,” Oats says, when asked of the comparison. “He’s got a whole lot of confidence, he’s got a lot of ability to close games, and he’s capable of doing everything on both sides of the ball.”

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