Baker junior point guard and Auburn commit Labaron Philon is must-see TV.

“When he is on the floor, your eyes never leave him,” Huntsville High coach Christian Schweers said. “You can’t help but watch him and see what happens next.”

What’s next for Philon is winning Mr. Basketball.

The 6-foot-4 standout was crowned Thursday at the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s annual Player of the Year banquet sponsored by ALFA Insurance and the Alabama High School Coaches and Athletic Directors Association. Philon also was named Class 7A Player of the Year for the second straight season.

He is the sixth underclassmen to win Mr. Basketball.

“I will say this – it’s nice to know that no matter where we are or who we play, I have the best player on the floor,” Baker coach David Armstrong said during Philon’s milestone junior season.

Philon, who committed to Auburn in February, already has been named both the MaxPreps and Gatorade Alabama player of the year. He averaged 35 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Hornets this season, finishing with 1,075 points on the year. He now stands at 2,334 points for his high school career.

He is the second consecutive Mr. Basketball winner from Mobile. McGill-Toolen’s Barry Dunning Jr., now at Arkansas, won the award last year.

“The amount of defensive attention he attracted throughout the course of 32 games and still put up historical numbers – it was amazing,” Schweers said. “Having played them earlier, I thought he was really good. Then he got out there in front of more than 2,000 people and his shot making ability went to another level. He’s the best player in Alabama right now.”

Philon scored 37 points in a 78-73 win over Schweers’ Huntsville team in the Huntsville City Classic in December.

“I think we are a pretty good defensive team night in and night out, and there was really nothing we could do about it,” Schweers said.

Enterprise coach Rhett Harrelson also was impressed after Philon poured in 32 points to go along with seven rebounds, four steals and two assists in Baker’s 53-41 win over his Wildcats in the Class 7A South Regional semifinals.

“He’s the best player I’ve coached against,” Harrelson said then. “I know I haven’t been doing it that long. He is very, very talented. He has the ability to get the ball on the opposite baseline and get to the other basket in a blink of an eye. It’s unbelievable how quick he gets from one end of the floor to the other. He’s just tough to gameplan against.”

Philon is Baker’s first Mr. Basketball and the 41st overall. Terry Coner of Philips was the first winner in 1983. If he repeats as a senior, Philon would join Calhoun’s JD Davison, Mountain Brook’s Trendon Watford, Mae Jemison’s John Petty, Butler’s Trevor Lacey and John Carroll’s Ronald Steele as two-time winners of the award.

It won’t be easy to repeat, however. Philon edged Class 6A Player of the Year Caleb Holt of Buckhorn for the award this year. Holt is just a sophomore.

The other boys players of the year announced Thursday in Montgomery were Charles Henderson’s Austin Cross (5A), Jacksonville’s John Broom (4A), Piedmont’s Alex Odam (3A), Sand Rock’s Jacob StClair (2A), Autaugaville’s Jaden Nixon (1A) and Macon-East Montgomery’s Jacob Wilson (AISA).

Philon was the only repeat boys player of the year winner and the only repeat member of the ASWA Super All-State team.

BOYS SUPER ALL-STATE

(Top 5 players regardless of classification)

Labaron Philon, Baker

Caleb Holt, Buckhorn

John Broom, Jacksonville

Chase McCarty, Westminster Christian

Win Miller, Vestavia Hills

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

7A: Labaron Philon, Baker

6A: Caleb Holt, Buckhorn

5A: Austin Cross, Charles Henderson

4A: John Broom, Jacksonville

3A: Alex Odam, Piedmont

2A: Jacob StClair, Sand Rock

1A: Jaden Nixon, Autaugaville

AISA: Jacob Wilson, Macon-East

MR. BASKETBALL WINNERS

1983 – Terry Coner, Phillips-Birmingham

1984 – Jeff Moore, Midfield

1985 – Vincent Robinson, Bridgeport

1986 – Larry Rembert, Keith

1987 – Bryant Lancaster, Valley

1988 – Terrance Lewis, Ramsay

1989 – Queintonia Higgins, Fairhope

1990 – Cedric Moore, Woodlawn

1991 – Victor Newman, Houston Academy

1992 – Darryl Wilson, South Lamar

1993 – Howard Pride, Butler

1994 – Rod Willie, Lee-Huntsville

1995 – Brian Williams, Jeff Davis

1996 – Isaac Spencer, Jeff Davis

1997 – Anthony Williams, Loachapoka

1998 – Sam Haginas, UMS-Wright

1999 – Marvin Stone, Grissom

2000 – Gerald Wallace, Childersburg

2001 – Chris White, Grissom

2002 – Kennedy Winston, Blount

2003 – Ronald Steele, John Carroll

2004 – Ronald Steele, John Carroll

2005 – Richard Hendrix, Athens

2006 – Stanley Robinson, Huffman

2007 – Courtney Fortson, Jeff Davis

2008 – JaMychal Green, St. Jude

2009 – Kerron Johnson, Madison Academy

2010 – Trevor Lacey, Butler

2011 – Trevor Lacey, Butler

2012 – Craig Sword, Carver-Montgomery

2013 – De’Runnya Wilson, Wenonah

2014 – William Lee, Dallas County

2015 – Dazon Ingram, Theodore

2016 – John Petty, J.O. Johnson

2017 – John Petty, Mae Jemison

2018 – Trendon Watford, Mountain Brook

2019 – Trendon Watford, Mountain Brook

2020 – J.D. Davison, Calhoun

2021 – J.D. Davison, Calhoun

2022 – Barry Dunning Jr., McGill-Toolen

2023 – Labaron Philon, Baker

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