Ahead of its upcoming run in the NCAA Tournament, the Alabama basketball program appears to be dealing with a severe off-the-court issue regarding one of its best players. According to a report from ESPN’s Myron Medcalf on Monday afternoon, junior guard Aden Holloway was arrested on Monday morning on a felony drug charge.
Medcalf’s reporting, which comes from a statement by Tuscaloosa County police spokesperson Stephanie Taylor, says that “agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a residence near Alabama’s campus and ‘recovered more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash.'”
Holloway has reportedly been charged with first-degree possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp. He was transported to the county jail on Monday morning after his arrest and was reportedly bonded out later in the morning.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Monday evening that Holloway has been “removed from campus in the wake of his arrest.” Thamel also states that Holloway will not be with Alabama’s team as the UA Office of Student Conduct investigates the situation.
“The University is aware of the allegations and is working to gather more information,” Alabama Athletics said in a press release, via Outkick’s Trey Wallace. “The student has been removed from campus pending further investigation by the UA Office of Student Conduct.”
The situation originally unfolded the morning after Alabama found out its NCAA Tournament seeding during Selection Sunday on Sunday night. The Crimson Tide landed a 4-seed in the Midwest Region and is slated to take on 13-seed Hofstra on Friday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. ET.
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Holloway, a junior from Charlotte, NC, has started 27 of his 28 games for the Crimson Tide this season. He’s averaging 28.4 minutes, 16.8 points, and 3.8 assists per game this season. The 6-foot-1 guard is Alabama’s second-leading scorer this season, behind only star guard Labaron Philon Jr. Holloway started his career at Auburn before playing the last two seasons with Alabama.
Holloway played 28 minutes in Alabama’s game at Tennessee in late February and scored 12 points in the Crimson Tide’s win over the Vols. He played in 26 minutes during Alabama’s one-and-done loss to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament on Friday, recording 18 points with two makes from three-point range.
With Tennessee and Alabama both being in the Midwest Region of the bracket, there is a path for the two rivals to square off in the Elite Eight with a trip to the Final Four on the line. It would theoretically require Alabama to get past Hofstra, Texas Tech, and Michigan, while the Vols would have to get through their First Four opponent, Virginia, and Iowa State – if you’re going by chalk predictions.
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