Philon was born on November 24, 2005 in
Mobile, Alabama. He attended
Baker High School in
Mobile County where he played three seasons and scored a total of 2,334 points, being a two-time recipient of the Class 7A Player of the Year award. As a
junior for Baker, he averaged 35 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, being named the
Alabama Mr. Basketball. He transferred to
Link Academy in Missouri for his
senior season. He helped Link achieve a top-10 ranking nationally with an appearance in the national semifinals.
Recruiting Philon was ranked the 32nd-best recruit nationally by
ESPN and the fifth-best
point guard recruit by
On3. He initially committed to playing
college basketball for
Auburn, but later decommitted. He later signed a letter of intent to play for
Kansas, but decided not to play with them either. He committed to
Alabama on April 28, 2024. ==College career==