For months, the 2024 Kansas basketball recruiting class had three commitments for the upcoming season. Bill Self's class ranked fifth in the country with one 5-star and two 4-star recruits. However, the Jayhawks will only bring in two high school recruits after all.
Labaron Philon, a top-30 PG out of Link Academy in Missouri, requested a release from his National Letter of Intent yesterday. Despite being committed to Kansas since September, the 6-foot-4 facilitator announced his intentions to begin his collegiate career elsewhere.
BREAKING: Labaron Philon, the No. 32 overall recruit in the 2024 class, has requested his release out of his National Letter of Intent to Kansas, a source tells @247Sports.
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) April 24, 2024
Philon currently ranks as the No. 3 overall point guard in the class. || Story: https://t.co/mlFcRz8Tse pic.twitter.com/KThdhANKpu
4-star PG Labaron Philon requests NLI release from Kansas basketball
With the influx of transfer portal talent that Kansas has added since the season ended, someone was bound to be unhappy with the situation. That player turned out to be Philon, who would have presumably sat behind guards Dajuan Harris, Zeke Mayo, Elmarko Jackson, and Riley Kugel next season.
Philon had been considered a big-time get for the coaching staff. He was ranked the 32nd overall player and third-best PG in his class on 247 Sports. The former recipient of Alabama's Mr. Basketball award transferred to Link for his senior year and impressed on a national level. He averaged 11.7 points and 4.3 assists in 12 games on the EYBL circuit.
In addition to his excellent playmaking skills, Philon was an exceptional outside shooter at the high school level. He has length and plenty of potential on the defensive end if he continues to bulk up his frame. But ultimately, there is too much talent on the roster for him to have made an impact year one.
The former Auburn commit will seek his third school before stepping foot onto an NCAA court. He also considered Alabama, Cincinnati, and Ole Miss in his initial recruitment and could turn to more Midwest schools given his newfound familiarity with the area.
Now that Philon is gone, C Flory Bidunga and wing Rakease Passmore are the only players in KU's recruiting class. He had many redeeming qualities and could develop into a solid college player. However, Jayhawk fans can expect Coach Self to replace him with Alabama transfer Rylan Griffen, whose commitment to Kansas appears imminent.