Labaron Philon Powers Alabama Past Hofstra in NCAA Tournament Opener

TAMPA, Fla. — Labaron Philon may be a surefire first-round pick if he declares for the NBA Draft after Alabama’s season, but he will have to wait at least one more game to make that decision.

“Labaron told me he wasn’t going home,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said after the Crimson Tide defeated No. 13 seed Hofstra in the NCAA Tournament opening round.

Philon made sure of that.

The sophomore guard finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, leading No. 4 seed Alabama to a 90-70 win after a game that was far from comfortable early.

Hofstra controlled much of the first half, building a double-digit lead behind perimeter shooting and transition offense. Alabama struggled through a prolonged stretch in the middle of the half, allowing the Pride to dictate tempo and shooting an uncharacteristic 26.3 percent from deep in the first half.

Despite that stretch, Alabama closed the half on a run to take a 37-35 lead into the break.

“Give Hofstra a lot of credit. That’s a very good team that came ready to play,” Oats said. “I think they went on a… 18-2 run there in the middle of the first half… Somehow ended up up 2, as bad as we played in the middle of the first half.”

Alabama opened the second half with a run and never fully gave control back. Each time Hofstra cut into the Crimson Tide’s lead, Alabama responded, often through Philon’s ability to create in transition or initiate offense in the half-court.

He scored 21 of his 29 points after halftime. Philon said not pressing and allowing the game to flow naturally led to his second-half surge and Alabama’s eventual 20-point win.

“I think not just worrying about scoring. I missed a couple open shots, but I don’t really bank myself on that. I try to get guys involved,” Philon said. “I ended up with seven assists, and I was just mainly focused on getting the ball out of my hands when I needed to, getting it back if I needed to… Once we play like that, it’s hard to contain it in the full and half court.”

Philon’s impact extended beyond scoring.

One sequence midway through the second half captured it. With just over eight minutes remaining, Philon grabbed an offensive rebound, used a quick stepback to create space and knocked down a 3-pointer. He followed it by sprinting back on defense, celebrating with his now-familiar “Spider-Man” motion toward the Hofstra section, then chirping a Pride player before helping force a stop leading to a media timeout.

Philon has also developed a habit of nodding his head as he runs back on defense, another showcase of his intensity. He said that energy comes from his connection to the game.

“I would just say… just to be honest… it really just like basketball. I really love basketball. I love playing basketball every day… this team means a lot to me… the Crimson jersey means a lot to me…,” Philon said. “I live and die by this… everybody on the team knows it… Everybody on the team feel the same. So whenever we get out there on the court, it’s just high intensity.”

For Philon, that intensity is why Alabama is still playing.

And for at least one more game, he is not going home.

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