Alabama men’s basketball had multiple players stand out during the 90-86 win over Illinois in Chicago last Wednesday evening.
But Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon Jr. stood out among the rest of the conference, as he was named the SEC Player of the Week on Monday. Additionally, forward Amari Allen was recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Week.
Philon won named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times last season, and in the three weeks of 2025-26, he’s already proven his place on the Preseason All-SEC First Team. Philon was also the conference’s top player in Week 1, following the season opener against North Dakota and then St. John’s.
The sophomore had just five points in the first half against Illinois on a 2 of 6 clip from the field. Illinois held a narrow 42-41 lead going into the break, but coming out of it, Philon gave Alabama its first lead with a layup. The Crimson Tide never lost the lead from then on, and the sophomore finished with 24 points.
“What, he scored nine straight points somewhere in that stretch? He has a lot of fun playing basketball,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said during the postgame press conference. “He competes. I’m on him. He’s playing harder, being smarter. He’s got to stay in the game with the fouls he has. He got a stop, he had a bad gamble defensively there when we needed a stop.”
Philon was playing with four fouls late in the second half, but Oats trusted the only returning starter from last season’s Alabama team. He converted 7 of his 12 field goal attempts in the second half and finished the game with a team-high five assists.
Allen has filled the stat sheet throughout the first four games of his career, as he’s averaging 7.5 points, a team-high 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks. In the win over Illinois, he had nine points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
“Amari Allen showed up with 11 rebounds,” Oats said during the postgame press conference. “For a freshman, he’s really stepped up in some big games.”
Allen, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound wing in the 2025 class, was the No. 2 ranked player in the state of Wisconsin, the 13th-ranked small forward in the nation and the No. 102 overall prospect at the time of his commitment.
Allen “stood out as a surprise” to Oats when he arrived to Tuscaloosa. He is a lengthy perimeter player with the ability to score at will and also has the physical prowess to press teams defensively. He has all the tools to succeed in Oats’ system. It’s important to note that although he’s officially listed as a forward, Oats has often referred to Allen as a guard.
