Alabama coach Nate Oats said the Crimson Tide are preparing to play the NCAA tournament without guard Aden Holloway after Holloway was arrested Monday on a felony drug charge and removed from campus.
A team spokesperson said Holloway was not with the team four days before Alabama’s tournament opener against Hofstra. Tuscaloosa County authorities said agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a residence and recovered more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash; Holloway was arrested Monday morning and taken to the county jail. He posted a $5,000 bond and was released the same day. He faces a first-degree drug possession charge and a charge for failure to affix a tax stamp, both felonies; in Alabama, a first-degree drug possession conviction can carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison or a $15,000 fine.
“We got standards in our program and we’ve got ways we’ve held our guys accountable,” Oats said on his radio show Monday night. “We found out about what was going on this morning … and we had to suspend him pending the investigation. We’re certainly disappointed in his behavior. But that being said, we still love him, he’s still our guy. We’re helping him get the help that he needs and we’re going to continue to help him whatever way we can. But as far as our team goes, I thought we had a great practice, we’re preparing to play without him this weekend.”
Holloway, a 6-foot-1 guard, is averaging 16.8 points per game and is one of Alabama’s most efficient offensive players. The Crimson Tide rank among the national leaders in offensive efficiency and lead the country in scoring at 91.7 points per game. With Holloway on the court this season, Alabama has been roughly 9.7 points per 100 possessions better offensively, per EvanMiya.com; he has been the team’s leading scorer in several recent games and is shooting 44% from 3-point range with the highest offensive rating on the roster, per KenPom.
His absence would increase the burden on Labaron Philon Jr., a projected NBA first-round pick, and could affect Alabama’s high-volume 3-point attack; Alabama shoots more 3-pointers per possession than any team in the country, and Holloway is its top perimeter shooter. Holloway scored 18 points in Friday’s SEC tournament loss to Ole Miss.
With an NCAA opener looming against Hofstra, which has lost only once since Jan. 29, Oats said the team must move forward while supporting Holloway. “Everybody wants to wrap their arms around and love him,” Oats said. “Everybody makes mistakes in life, but they also understand, we’ve got to move on and we’ve got a whole other group of guys and the team’s got to go play Friday. I thought we did a good job of that this morning, kind of addressing the situation. I did tell our team, this team — more than any team I’ve ever coached — is better equipped to handle a situation like this. We’ve won plenty of games with guys not available.”
ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello contributed to this report.
