TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama found another freshman sensation from the Mobile area. This one does his damage on the hardwood instead of the gridiron.

While receiver Ryan Williams has filled up the stat sheet for Kalen DeBoer this fall, guard Labaron Philon appears poised to do the same for Nate Oats.

Making his first start during Alabama basketball’s season opener on Monday, fellow Mobile-area native Philon lived up to his preseason hype. The freshman scored 10 points while dishing out nine assists in the Tide’s 110-54 victory over UNC Asheville.

“Labaron came in right out of the gate when we got the guys here in June and established himself as one of the best two-way guards in the program,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said after the game. “he takes that role as a two-way guy very seriously… Within the first month of being here in summer, we knew he was going to be in the rotation—he’s just continued to establish himself.”

Philon fired up Williams and the rest of Coleman Coliseum just nine minutes into his collegiate debut.

The former four-star converted his first career field goal with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half on a putback layup. On the ensuing Bulldogs possession, Phillon stole the ball and raced down court, laying the ball in and adding two more points. As UNC Ashville tried to inbound, Philon was right there, snagging another steal before being fouled on a quick layup attempt. After being fouled, the freshman exchanged words with the Bulldogs player before turning to the crowd, urging them to make some more noise. Then he made the ensuing free throws after the media timeout. In a mere 30 seconds, the freshman scored his first six career points.

Philon’s play consists of craftiness, smooth dribbling and vision, which is why he says the play came naturally to him.

“Just playing off natural instincts,” Philon said. “being able to read when guys are ready to pass the ball, jumping the lanes, and just being able to calm myself down and get to the rim, you know, just make my free throws; just be locked in on that.”

Oats said Philon has a true chance to be an NBA draft prospect with shooting potential, strong defending and what was shown the most in Alabama’s opener, his passing. Philon’s crafty playstyle led to more highlights of him distributing the basketball with nine assists, one away from a double-double. The freshman showcased his playmaking with an early second-half lob to fellow newcomer Cliff Omoruyi, a center and transfer from Rutgers. But he also showed signs of his freshman status with a few rookie mistakes, leading Alabama in turnovers with four—no other player had more than two.

If Phillon can cut back on the turnovers, he can offer a nice balance in Alabama’s backcourt, as one of the more skilled playmaking guards compared to sharpshooters Mark Sears, Latrell Wrightsell, Aden Holloway and Chris Youngblood, who is set to join the team in December back from injury.

Oats saw Alabama’s opener as a chance to give younger players valuable minutes, and no one benefited more than Philon. KenPom.com tracked Philon’s usage at the “go-to guy” level, with him involved in over 28% of Alabama’s possessions—more than any other player on the roster.

Regardless of his high usage rate, highlight plays or mistakes, Philon can at least say that the first-game jitters are over.

“It was a good feeling,” Philon said. “To start off kind of nervous in the first game, trying to get everything out. But once the ball tips off, it’s go time. I just try to lock in, stay mental, and stay ready at all times—whether on the bench cheering on my teammates or in the game, making plays.”

Every year, Conde Nast Traveler asks readers to vote on the friendliest cities in the United States for its Readers’ Choice Awards. For 2024, one Alabama city made the Top 10 alongside destinations such as Chicago, Charleston and Santa Fe.

Readers piped up for a spot on Alabama’s “beautiful, underrated Gulf Coast:” Mobile.

Alabama’s Port City came in at No. 5 on a list topped by Chattanooga, Tenn. There’s a slight glitch here, as Mobile allegedly “fell onto many travelers’ radars in 2024 when Amtrack unveiled its Gulf Coast service, connecting Mobile to New Orleans.”

Hold up there, Casey Jones: It’s not “now easier than ever to visit this slice of Alabama,” at least not quite yet, because they just held a groundbreaking for the service in late October. Even U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg couldn’t say with certainty when the “all aboard” call will come. (Spring 2025 seems likely.)

That said, the larger point stands. As the Traveler piece puts it, the rail connection comes at a time when Mobile “has begun respectfully highlighting its past through cultural moments such as the Isom Clemon Civil Rights Memorial Park and Clotilda: The Exhibition, a landmark show telling the story of the last ship carrying enslaved people through the lens of its survivors.”

According to the article, this is Mobile’s first time to make the list, which featured nearby Pensacola in 2023. The full gallery can be found at www.cntraveler.com.

DRY, MILD MONDAY: With a partly sunny sky, we are forecasting a high in the upper 70s for north Alabama today, with low 80s for the southern counties. The average high for Birmingham on Nov. 4 is 69.

Moisture will increase in coming days, and we will bring in a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms Tuesday and each day through Friday as a surface front stalls out just to the northwest. Rain distribution won’t be very even, but any one spot will see a 40-50% chance of seeing rain each day. Highs will stay between 77 and 81 degrees across Alabama.

THE ALABAMA WEEKEND: There is a huge amount of uncertainty due to model differences in handling the tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico. The American Global Forecast System model suggests Saturday will bring widespread, beneficial rain, while the European global model shows little rain as it keeps the tropical system far to the southwest. We will have much better clarity over the next 36-48 hours; for now, we will mention a chance of rain Saturday, with a trend toward drier weather Sunday. Highs over the weekend will be in the 70s.

TROPICS: Potential Tropical Cyclone 18 is in the Caribbean, about 260 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica. Winds are 35 mph, and the system is expected to become Tropical Storm Rafael over the next 24 hours.

The latest National Hurricane Center forecast track brings it over the western tip of Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday, and into the southern Gulf of Mexico Thursday. From there, weakening is likely due to cooler sea-surface temperatures and stronger winds aloft, producing shear. It is too early to know whether Alabama will see beneficial rain; it is just one possibility. We will have much better clarity once the system becomes organized and we get dropsonde data from hurricane hunters.

ON THIS DATE IN 1935: A Category 2 storm called the Yankee Hurricane affected the Bahamas and south Florida. The storm remains the only tropical cyclone to hit Miami from the northeast in November.

ON THIS DATE IN 1985: The remnants of tropical storm Juan dropped 10 to 19 inches of rain on West Virginia and surrounding states, causing 62 deaths. A maximum rainfall amount of 19.77 inches was recorded near Montebello in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The flood in West Virginia was considered the worst in the state’s history.

For more weather news and information from James Spann and his team, visit AlabamaWx.