Wednesday night provided unexpected good news for Nate Oats and Alabama basketball. After initially shutting the door on a potential return to the Crimson Tide just two weeks ago, Labaron Philon announced he would return for his sophomore season with less than an hour remaining in the NBA Draft's withdrawal deadline.
Philon's decision changes everything for Alabama's outlook in 2025-26. Oats had built a competitive roster without Philon. With him, however, the Crimson Tide should once again be legitimate contenders in the SEC and National Championship races.
Oats has built a roster around Philon that is perfectly suited to take advantage of his best attributes. With two "stretch-five" type centers in Aiden Sherrell and Noah Williamson, Alabama will be able to play five-out consistently next season. That will put four shooters on the floor with Philon, and completely open up the paint.
If Philon can continue his upward trajectory as a shooter (38.8% from three in the last 14 games), he has legitimate SEC Player of the Year potential. It cannot be overstated how massive his return is for Alabama next season.
With Philon declaring for the draft and Mark Sears exhausting his eligibility, Alabama had a genuine hole at guard. A lot was going to be put on Aden Holloway's plate, and guys like Latrell Wrightsell, Jalil Bethea, and Houston Mallette were going to be trusted to handle the ball a lot more than would have been preferable.
Philon's return fixes that, giving Oats two proven ball-handlers (Philon, Holloway), allowing the others to be tertiary initiators at best. It will also allow Holloway to play off-the-ball more, something he thrived at as a shooter this past season.
Alabama's starting lineup and rotation is stacked with Philon returning
Alabama's rotation will be versatile next season, just like Oats prefers. Alabama got bigger at guard, and longer on the wing. This team should be much improved defensively, and Oats believes it could be the best three-point shooting team he has put together in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama now has a 12-man roster. Here's how things currently stand:
Returning players:
Labaron Philon
Aden Holloway
Latrell Wrightsell
Houston Mallette
Aiden Sherrell
Transfer portal additions:
Jalil Bethea (Miami)
Taylor Bol Bowen (Florida State)
Keitenn Bristow (Tarleton State)
Noah Williamson (Bucknell)
Incoming freshmen:
Davion Hannah
Amari Allen
London Jemison
Alabama has at least one roster spot available that may or may not get filled. For now, my best guess at the starting lineup - assuming everyone is healthy - looks like this:
PG: Labaron Philon
SG: Latrell Wrightsell
SF: Jalil Bethea
PF: Taylor Bol Bowen
C: Aiden Sherrell
It's probably a coin flip right now on who starts between Sherrell and Williamson. I suspect both will play roughly 20 minutes per game. They could share the court in some lineups, too. For now, I'm making the bold prediction of Sherrell winning the job. I think he's going to take a substantial leap this offseason. He already looks improved.
Philon and Bol Bowen seem like locks to be in the starting five. I imagine Bethea will be, too. The big question will be how Wrightsell's recovery comes along. If he's 100%, he probably slots in as the two due to his two-way ability. If he's not 100% to start the season (or if Oats just wants to play it cautious), then Holloway could start next to Philon, or Alabama could go bigger with Bethea at the two and Mallette slotting into the three.
It is anybody's guess how well the freshmen will translate. Jemison and Hannah figure to be the most ready to play, but we'll learn a lot more about that this summer. With Philon returning, any minutes Hannah or Allen can give Oats will be a bonus. They will need Jemison to carve out a role quickly. The same is probably true of Bristow, though he's likely more of a project.
Holloway is almost certainly going to be the sixth man again. He will be Alabama's secondary ball-handler and will likely find plenty of time alongside Philon in the backcourt.
The seventh guy off the bench is likely to be whichever of Sherrell or Williamson doesn't start.
The eighth guy will probably be Mallette, who just officially received his medical redshirt for last season.
The ninth guy in the rotation probably ends up being either Jemison or Bristow. Jemison is Alabama's highest-ranked recruit in this class, ranking No. 38 in the 247 composite. Bristow has the edge in experience and was the WAC Freshman of the Year at Tarleton State, but the leap to the SEC will be a significant step-up.
The 10th guy I would project currently as Hannah. He could certainly have a bigger role than that, but that'll get worked out this summer. The 11th guy is probably whichever of Jemison or Bristow doesn't fill the ninth slot.
Then there's Allen, who is probably the odd man out at this point in time. That's strictly a projection based on him being the lowest-ranked of the three high schoolers Alabama signed. He could end up the best of the bunch. You just never know until these guys start practicing.
In any case, that's a versatile and deep roster that has the ceiling of a Final Four team and the floor of a team, barring good health, that is comfortably in the NCAA Tournament.
It's amazing how one decision can change a team's entire outlook.