Breaking Down Elite Guard Labaron Philon's Commitment to Kansas

September 26, 2023 by Max Feldman

THE LEAD

Labaron Philon, the 16th overall prospect in 2024, has committed to Kansas. After decommitting from Auburn this past April, Arkansas, Alabama, Cincinnati and Ole Miss were in the mix before choosing the Jayhawks shortly after an official visit.

BACKGROUND

A native of Mobile, Alabama, Philon is the cousin of Chargers' defensive end Darius Philon. The 6-4 guard originally chose Bruce Pearl and Auburn in early February, but chose to decommit, along with Peyton Marshall, a now Mizzou commit, after the departure of assistant coach Wes Flanigan to Ole Miss. The Rebels, Arkansas, Alabama and more re-entered the picture, but Bill Self and company quickly got the job done after prioritizing Philon these past few months.

SOUND BITE

"You watch Labaron play, and you can't help but love his game. He plays the right way, and he does it on both ends of the floor. He's got an old school, throwback type of game with his change of pace and tough shot-making ability. He knows how to get everybody involved, but also knows when it's time to go get a bucket himself." -- Bill Armstrong, head coach at Link Academy

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Jayhawks likely remain in the mix for a number of high level prospects in 2024, most notably Cooper Flagg who's set to officially visit in October. Zoom Diallo, Isaiah Elohim, Tre Johnson and a few others were previously prime targets, but seems more likely that Kansas turns it's focus to a bigger wing. Stephen Emmanuel has been on campus in Lawrence and seems to remain a key target as a developmental big. Regardless, Bill Self has a Top-20 duo on their way to Lawrence to kick off a strong 2024 class.

MY TAKE

With a consensus ranking of 36th nationally, we are the highest in the industry on Philon. Currently ranked 16th in 2024 for us, I'm very bullish on this get aging well for Self and company. The skilled guard is fresh off a quietly impressive spring and summer with Team Thad, answering some key questions as a playmaker while continuing to grow more efficient as a scoring threat. A true combo guard with exceptional instincts on either end, it seems like the game has begun to slow down in terms of ball screen decision-making and half-court creation. Physically, there's still another level to hit and adding more consistency from three (25% on 2.3 3PA in EYBL) will only turn up the intrigue another notch. There's room to grow, but that notion mixed with the path of progression over the recent months warrants a promising formula projecting ahead in my eyes.

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