Late decision by Labaron Philon to return to Alabama pays off in early season upset vs. St. John's

One of the biggest surprises in the new era of name, image, and likeness occurred less than 30 minutes before the deadline to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft passed. Alabama guard Labaron Philon, who most considered a likely late-first-round pick, elected to withdraw from the draft process during the 11th hour to return to school.

Philon coming back not only gave Alabama a true building block for the 2025-26 season but also a chance for him to raise his stock and solidify himself as "the guy" after All-American guard Mark Sears departed the program. If Saturday was any indication of what's to come this season for the Crimson Tide, it is that Philon appears to be ready to meet the moment. 

Philon scored 25 points in No. 15 Alabama's 103-96 upset win over No. 5 St. John's at Madison Square Garden. Fifteen of his 25 points came after halftime. The Alabama star finished 10 of 17 from the floor and dished out three assists in just 29 minutes while dealing with foul trouble.

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Gary Parrish

Highlight to end the half

Perhaps one of the biggest shots of Philon's college career came in the final two minutes of regulation. With the Crimson Tide up seven, Philon knocked down a step-back 3-pointer to extend the lead to double-digits, which put the game away for good. St. John's trailed for a majority of the second half before storming back to take a brief lead with 6:09 remaining.

Philon showed flashes last season of why he was one of the best prospects in the 2024 recruiting cycle. He averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 37 games. However, Philon started just 29 games and took a backseat role at times to other players on the roster, including Sears and Grant Nelson -- who both averaged more points per game than Philon.

Oats rescues roster again

Since Nate Oats arrived at Alabama in 2019, he has consistently retooled his rosters. Oats had to replace three assistant coaches and seven of his top nine scorers ahead of the 2023-24 season when the Crimson Tide reached the Final Four for the first time in program history. Perhaps this offseason was one of his toughest challenges yet, as it's hard to replace a player like Sears, who is one of the most accomplished in program history.

But getting Philon back was one of the biggest wins of Oats' coaching career, and it should give the Crimson Tide a real chance to compete for another berth to the Final Four if he keeps playing like this. As of this weekend, Alabama had the 10th-best odds (+430), per FanDuel, to reach the Final Four.

Oats has traditionally scheduled a tough slate of preseason games since his arrival to Tuscaloosa. Last year, the Crimson Tide played Purdue, Illinois, Houston, Oregon and North Carolina before SEC play began. Alabama will face No. 1 Purdue on Thursday with games vs. Illinois, Gonzaga and Arizona in nonconference play before the calendar flips to the new year and SEC play begins.    

This win over St. John's should signal a few things ahead of his team's upcoming gauntlet: Alabama is still in the mix among the best teams in the sport, and Philon has a real case to leave his mark on the program and solidify himself as a potential lottery pick this summer.

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