Labaron Philon
Photo | Mike Kittrell
The first thing one notices about Labaron Philon on the basketball court is his hair and how it seems to move with him, which is to say it doesn’t sit still. Philon is a concert of movement and angles and direction changes.
The second thing that gains attention is the fact he’s going old school in his basketball attire — instead of donning the longer shorts that have gained popularity for several years now, Philon has chosen to go with a shorter version.
“We’re bringing it back,” he said of the style choice after a recent game in the McGill-Toolen tipoff tournament in which he scored 20 points in a win over Saraland, suggesting it started among a group of teammates on his AAU team.
And yet the thing that stands out most about Philon on the basketball court is his obvious and growing talent and his instincts. While not the biggest player on the floor — he’s thin and quick, mostly elbows and blurs at 6-foot-3, 158 pounds — one’s eyes are almost immediately drawn to him, sensing that something is going to happen and you don’t want to miss it.
And often, that’s exactly the case.
Upon further examination, the appreciation for his talent and skill set increases when you discover he’s only a sophomore, which means he still has two more high school seasons once the current one is completed. You ask yourself: How good can he get?
There are many basketball fans in the area asking the same question, most coming to the simple conclusion he could be very good. College recruiters are so convinced of his upward talent trajectory Philon already has several scholarship offers awaiting him when he can actually sign on the dotted line.
But that’s getting ahead of his story, and the story at the moment is what he can bring to a Baker team that has a good assortment of talent around him. While he grabs the attention of most who see the Hornets play, his growth and his game are enhanced by a solid group of teammates and contributors alongside him.
It is a group that is learning to play together, learning together what Philon brings to the table and what that can mean for his teammates and the team as a whole.
“He makes them better and they understand how good he is,” Baker head coach Michael Armstrong said. “I was skeptical at first because you’ve got a group of high school kids and for them to say, ‘Yeah, let him take as many shots as he’s going to take,’ that’s something. We had to have a conversation, with me telling them, ‘He’s going to take some shots that I probably wouldn’t let you take because of what he can do, and you just need to keep playing.’ And when he plays the way he played tonight, he’s going to open up other things for them. Once they learn how to play together with all that, we’re going to be much better.”
Already some of that is taking form and the Hornets claimed an easy victory over Saraland, with others contributing along with Philon. They enjoyed other wins in the tournament as well and are looking for the right chemistry as the season continues.
But make no mistake, the player in the lead for the Hornets is Philon.
“It started at the Rec, playing with my team at the Spring Hill Rec [Center],” Philon said of his love of the game. “I was 6 years old. It was a great feeling, just playing. It has continued as I have gone on.
“I want to learn how to make people around me better. When I’m on the floor, I think they play off my energy. Even though they bring energy with them, my energy helps other guys and it builds their confidence up. I think that helps me be a leader.”
Philon said when he’s on the floor all he thinks about is the end result.
“I’m thinking about winning and competing, and even if we lose I want to have played the best that I can at all times,” he said.
Philon said Samford, South Alabama, Alabama State, Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss have already made offers, “and I have a lot of interest from some other big schools,” he added. “I love the recruiting process. It’s going to build and next year I think they will be big on me, and I’m going to have to step up and be ready.”
Armstrong said he has known since the first time he saw Philon play recruiters were going to be interested in him.
“My former assistant coach who is now the head coach at Murphy knew about him coming out of middle school but I was real skeptical that a freshman could be a starter at the varsity level,” he said. “The first practice, the first workout — and this is during COVID when you couldn’t play anybody, we were just dribbling and working out — I said, this kid is really good. He was skin and bones, but you could tell the talent was there. Once the season got started last year you kind of started to see him emerge as one of the best, if not the best [player] in the area.”
What drives Philon these days?
“[Basketball is] my world. I eat, sleep and breathe basketball,” he said. “It’s all I want to do all day. I can’t live without it.”
And thus he receives a lot of attention, which Armstrong said he is handling well so far.
“I was concerned at first because you don’t know how a 14-year-old, a 15-year-old is going to handle that kind of pressure,” Armstrong said. “But he’s gotten better at understanding what he’s doing and what’s going on. He still works hard every day, he doesn’t come to practice with a big head. He still plays hard every time. You worry about kids at that age, about the offers or the YouTube stuff or Instagram, but he’s gotten pretty good at doing his thing when he needs to do his thing and worrying about that other stuff later.”
Armstrong said the best is yet to come from Philon.
“His ability to get to the rim is better than anybody I’ve ever seen. His ability to get where he wants to get for his shot — he’s just there, he just has a knack for it,” he said. “But what’s cool to see now is his athletic ability is starting to catch up with that ability to get to the rim and he’s starting to see … Like he tried to dunk on somebody today, and before long that will happen on a regular basis. I think his shooting ability is getting better and better. He didn’t shoot it well tonight, and we didn’t as a team, but he shoots the ball a lot better as he’s gotten older. It’s going to be scary as he goes along.”
This page is available to our subscribers. Join us right now to get the latest local news from local reporters for local readers.
The best deal is found by clicking here. Click here right now to find out more. Check it out.
Already a member of the Lagniappe family? Sign in by clicking here
