The deadline for college basketball players to withdraw from the NBA was midnight on Wednesday night, and the SEC was easily the biggest winner from a conference perspective. Among those who opted to come back later were Otega Oweh (Kentucky), Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn), Mackenzie Mgbako (Texas A&M), and Alex Condon (Florida).
The Alabama Crimson Tide wasn’t supposed to get any news, as we had already known the fate of the one NBA Draft prospect on the team. [Labaron Philon](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/labaron-philon-1.html), a former five-star prospect, had announced his intentions to enter and stay in the draft a few weeks ago. However, an announcement from the school’s NIL arm on social media showed that there were other plans.
Philon had a great freshman campaign, considering he was the 4th option on offense most of the time and playing alongside All-American guard Mark Sears. The 6’4 playmaker averaged 10.6 ppg and 3.8 apg as a freshman, starting 29 games and shooting 45% from the field. Among the first-year guard’s best performances were 21 points in a win over South Dakota State and 16 points against Duke in the Elite 8.
With Sears gone, Philon is set to be the new lead guard for the Crimson Tide. Joining him are two returning guards from injury in Latrell Wrightsell and Houston Mallette, junior guard Aden Holloway, and Jalil Bethea, a former 5-star prospect and transfer from Miami. Considering the past injury issues with this core, having a proven and capable playmaker like Philon leading the way is massive for the Tide.
There are still some questions about how potent the roster will be, with transfers Taylor Bol Bowen and Noah Williamson being SEC newcomers in the frontcourt. But thanks to Philon opting to come back, Alabama’s floor and potential ceiling are much higher next season.