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The Alabama men’s basketball team will be without star player Aden Holloway when it opens the NCAA Tournament against Hofstra on Friday after the star guard was arrested earlier this week on a felony drug charge.
Head coach Nate Oats said the team is “preparing to play without” Holloway after the 21-year-old sophomore was arrested Monday morning on a first-degree Class C felony charge of possession of marijuana, not for personal use, and failure to affix a tax stamp.
Guard Aden Holloway of the Alabama Crimson Tide talks to a referee during the Georgia Bulldogs game on March 3, 2026 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga. (Jeffrey West/Icon Sportswire)
“We have standards in our program and we have ways that we’ve held our guys accountable. And we try to keep everything internal, obviously some of the situations you can’t and this is one of them,” Oats said on his radio show Monday, via ESPN.
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“We found out what was going on this morning, I found out this morning. I guess it all went down this morning. And we had to suspend him pending the investigation.”
Holloway, who is in his second season with the Crimson Tide and is second on the team in scoring with an average of 16.8 points a game, was arrested after agents from the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a residence near Alabama’s campus.
Tuscaloosa police spokeswoman Stephanie Taylor told The Associated Press that during the search, law enforcement found “more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash.”
Aden Holloway of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts during the Ole Miss Rebels game in the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 13, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
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“The university is aware of the allegations and is working to gather more information,” the school said in a statement. “The student has been removed from campus pending further investigation by the UA Office of Student Conduct.”
If convicted, Holloway could face up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $15,000 on the possession charge alone.
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“We’re certainly disappointed in his behavior. But that being said, we still love him, he’s still our guy,” Oats continued Monday. “We’re helping him get the help he needs and we’ll continue to help him however we can. But as far as our team, I thought we had a great practice and we’re preparing to play without him this weekend.”
Aden Holloway of the Alabama Crimson Tide watches during the Tennessee Volunteers game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 28, 2026 in Knoxville. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
As the No. 4 seed, Alabama opens its tournament play Friday against Hofstra.
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