Alabama 'preparing to play' NCAA Tournament without star guard Aden Holloway after felony drug arrest

The Alabama men’s hoops squad volition beryllium without prima subordinate Aden Holloway arsenic they unfastened the NCAA Tournament against Hofstra connected Friday aft the prima defender was arrested connected a felony cause complaint earlier this week. 

Head manager Nate Oats said the squad is "preparing to play without" Holloway aft the 21-year-old sophomore was arrested Monday greeting connected a first-degree Class C felony complaint of marijuana possession, not for idiosyncratic use, and nonaccomplishment to affix a taxation stamp.  

Guard Aden Holloway of the Alabama Crimson Tide talks to a referee during the Georgia Bulldogs crippled connected March 3, 2026, astatine Stegeman Coliseum successful Athens, Ga. (Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire)

"We got standards successful our programme and we've got ways we've held our guys accountable. And we effort to support everything in-house, evidently immoderate of the situations you can't, and this is 1 of those," Oats said connected his vigor amusement Monday, via ESPN. 

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"We recovered retired astir what was going connected this morning, I recovered retired this morning. I conjecture it each went down this morning. And we had to suspend him pending the investigation. " 

Holloway, who is successful his 2nd play with the Crimson Tide and is 2nd connected the squad successful scoring with an mean of 16.8 points a game, was arrested aft agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a residence adjacent Alabama’s campus.

Tuscaloosa constabulary spokesperson Stephanie Taylor told The Associated Press that during the search, instrumentality enforcement "recovered much than a lb of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash." 

Aden Holloway of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts during the Ole Miss Rebels crippled successful the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament astatine Bridgestone Arena connected March 13, 2026, successful Nashville, Tennessee. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

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"The University is alert of the allegations and is moving to stitchery much information," the schoolhouse said successful a statement. "The pupil has been removed from field pending further probe by the UA Office of Student Conduct."

If recovered guilty, Holloway could look up to 10 years successful situation and a maximum good of $15,000 for the possession complaint alone.

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"We're surely disappointed successful his behavior. But that being said, we inactive emotion him, he's inactive our guy," Oats continued Monday. "We're helping him get the assistance that helium needs and we're going to proceed to assistance him immoderate mode we can. But arsenic acold arsenic our squad goes, I thought we had a large practice, we're preparing to play without him this weekend."

Aden Holloway of the Alabama Crimson Tide watches during the Tennessee Volunteers crippled astatine Thompson-Boling Arena connected Feb. 28, 2026, successful Knoxville. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

As the No. 4 seed, Alabama opens its tourney play Friday against Hofstra.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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