On Monday night, Kansas saw its recruiting class grow by one with the addition of Labaron Philon, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound point guard from Link Year in Brandon, Mo. However, before giving the nod to Bill Self and the Jayhawks, Philon, the No. 38 ranked player in the 2024 class, spent last weekend in Lawrence for an official visit.

Shortly after giving the nod to Kansas on Monday night, JayhawkSlant.com caught up with Philon, the No. 6 ranked point guard in the class, to get a closer look at his weekend visit.

“The visit went great,” Labaron Philon told JayhawkSlant.com. “I had a fun time during my visit, but what stood out the most was the staff and how they took me in as a family. The message Coach Self had for me was that he wanted me to be the best player and son that I can be.

“My relationship with Coach (Jeremy) Case is also real close and I have enjoyed the process of him recruiting me,” he added.

Before verbally committing to Kansas on Monday night, Philon, a four-star prospect, had received scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Houston, LSU, Louisville, Mississippi, Penn State, Samford, South Alabama, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and others.

Not many people, if any at all, expected Philon to commit to Kansas exactly one day following his official visit to Kansas. However, that’s exactly what took place. For the elite point guard, his decision to commit to Kansas came about for a variety of reasons.

Yes, Philon has a close relationship with Coach Self and his staff. He’s also formed a strong relationship with current members of the University of Kansas men’s basketball team.

On the outside, Monday night's decision might have appeared as somewhat of a surprise, but according to Philon, that simply isn’t the case.

“I spent a lot of time with Dajuan (Harris) and Hunter (Dickinson),” said Philon. “Those guys showed me around campus and showed me great things about the basketball tradition at Kansas.

“Kansas was always a place on my list from the beginning,” he added. “Coach Self is one of the best ever and the best coach right now in college basketball. Who wouldn’t want to play for him? I would.”

What, exactly, is Kansas getting in Labaron Philon? Rob Cassidy, Basketball Recruiting Director for Rivals.com, had this to say about KU’s latest addition.

“His calling card is his creativity,” said Cassidy when asked about what stands out about his (Labaron Philon) game. “His length allows him to guard multiple positions on defense and score in a number of ways on offense

“The 6-foot-4 prospect is one of few guards that is actually capable of playing the 1 or the 2 at the college level because of a rare blend of playmaking and scoring abilities,” he added. “He’s not an elite shooter but can hurt you from deep if left open.”

Currently, KU's 2024 recruiting class consists of five-star big man Flory Bidunga and four-star point guard Labaron Philon.