Labaron Philon Opens Up About Personal Defensive Expectations

Alabama often has the freshman phenom guarding the other team's best player.

Jan 18, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) defends against Kentucky Wildcats guard Travis Perry (11) during the first half at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

NEWARK, N.J. –– Alabama men's basketball is filled with players with tons of experience at the college level.

Often times, experienced leaders of the sport are the X-factors who are assigned to the other team's best player. Not Alabama.

That title belongs to Crimson Tide freshman phenom Labaron Philon, who leads Alabama in steals per game this season. But now, we've reached the postseason, as the Tide can play a maximum of four more games in 2025.

Nevertheless, despite the significantly increased pressure, the 2-seed Crimson Tide expects Philon to answer the call defensively against 6-seed BYU on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

"I like it because before every shoot-around or gameplay we have, whoever the best player is, I'm probably going to start on them," Philon said during Wednesday's locker room media availability. "It's definitely an opportunity for me to showcase my defense and my defensive skills and tactics."

There are certainly no more opportunities to turn away from this task, and the 19-year-old truly embraces this challenge in games and practice.

"I would say every time something happens or we're about to get ready to play a game, [my teammates will] be like 'Yeah, Baron, you're guarding him.' In the walkthrough, they'll be like 'Baron, you got him.' And I'm just like 'Yeah, I'm ready.' Some people are calling for it, I would say [Alabama assistant] coach [Preston] Murphy does the most. It's a great feeling for my teammates to think that of me."

Murphy, an assistant that Oats has called numerous times "Alabama's GM," recruited Philon to the Crimson Tide long before his commitment.

“The first time I watched him I remember just seeing his energy,” Murphy told BamaCentral in January. “He’s the guy that kind of sticks out because he’s a very subtle and emotional player. That’s what stood out to me.

Philon's love of taking on the best player in a one-on-one started long before he came to Tuscaloosa and it only continued once he arrived. He knew he’d have to work hard to earn minutes on an Alabama team that Oats has called the "best roster we've had since we've been here."

“I will say that much hasn’t changed,” Murphy said. “When he first arrived, he was very competitive. He wanted to guard Mark Sears. He wanted to really compete. He wanted to earn a role on the team. We’ve got a good team and we were projected to be one of the better teams in the conference and country and he wanted to earn a role in that. So he came in and brought energy and activity every day. He never skipped practice, he’s never been late and he’s brought it since Day 1."

Philon will all but certainly shadow BYU guard Richie Saunders on Thursday night. Saunders leads the Cougars in points per game by a wide margin with 16.3.

Philon already has success guarding the other team's typical top scorer during the NCAA Tournament as he held Robert Morris' Kam Woods to 3 of 18 from the field. Additionally, Saint Mary's guard Augustas Marciulionis was held to 3-for-11 shooting.