Labaron Philon says he's focused on NBA Draft, but 'things can change'
When Alabama guard Labaron Philon declare for the NBA Draft earlier this month, he made no indication that he was leaving the option open to return to school. It was initially thought that there was no path to him returning to Tuscaloosa for another season, but BOL reported that Philon is still weighing the option of a potential return.
On Monday, Philon joined “The SchuZ Show” and discussed his NBA Draft decision, saying that he’s completely focused on the draft right now, but maintaining a non-committal stance about staying in it.
“I would say 100% draft, but you know, things can change. You never know,” Philon said. “I would say, I love ‘Bama, the whole program, the school, the state. It was all love when I was playing there, I never received any hatred or nothing like that. Walking around school and being a kid again was mostly the most fun part for me. I’ll never take that for granted.”
“I’m all-in on the draft right now because I want to be a pro. You never know what will happen, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Philon was excellent during his freshman season with the Crimson Tide, averaging 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a breakout top-40 recruit. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team at season’s end for his performance, and helped Alabama make a second straight appearance in the Elite Eight.
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If he were to stay in the draft, Philon would aim to become Alabama’s seventh NBA Draft selection under head coach Nate Oats, and potentially his fifth first-rounder. Philon said he was confident he’d be knocking on the NBA’s door, and knew Alabama was the program to help him get there.
“I always knew it would happen, I just had to be around the right coaches and the right school,” Philon said. “That’s why I went to Alabama and played for Coach Oats, I know what he brings to the table.”
Philon will continue to go through the NBA Draft process, meeting and conducting workouts with teams in addition to participating in the NBA Draft Combine, which is held from May 11-18 in Chicago.
The deadline for Philon to withdraw from the draft and return to school is May 28.
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