Alabama’s Aden Holloway arrested on drug charge ahead of March Madness
Aden Holloway, the Alabama men’s basketball team’s second-leading scorer, was arrested Monday on drug charges and may not be available for the Crimson Tide during March Madness, pending the university’s investigation into the matter.
Alabama coach Nate Oats said that after informing his players of the situation, the team went out and had “a really good practice” four days before its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Hofstra.
“Aden is one of our guys, and everyone wants to wrap their arms around him. [him]” Oats said Monday during an appearance on the Crimson Tide Sports Network. “Everyone makes mistakes in life, but [the players] also understand that we have to move on…and that the team has to go play on Friday.
“So I thought we did a good job this morning, kind of addressing the situation, what we currently knew at the time, and allowing our guys to focus on practice.”
Holloway’s arrest came after the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a residence near campus and “recovered over a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash,” Tuscaloosa police said.
The 21-year-old faces a first-degree charge of possession of marijuana, not for personal use, which is a class C felony and punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $15,000.
Police said Holloway will also be charged with failure to affix a tax stamp, another felony. Holloway was taken to jail shortly before 10 a.m. and was released less than an hour later on $5,000 bail.
Alabama said in a statement Monday: “The University is aware of the allegations and is working to gather more information. The student has been removed from campus pending further investigation by the UA Office of Student Conduct.”
Oats said players need to be held accountable if they don’t meet the standards set by the program.
“So, you know, we had to suspend [Holloway] pending investigation by the UA Office of Student Conduct,” Oats said. “And we are certainly disappointed in his behavior. But that being said, we still love it. He’s still our guy. We are helping him get the help he needs and we will continue to help him in any way we can.
Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide, the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region, continues to prepare to face 13th-seeded Hofstra on Friday without a player who averages 16.8 points per game. Sophomore guard Labaron Philon Jr. leads the team with 21.7 points per game, and sixth-year senior Latrell Wrightsell Jr. is averaging 12.8 points.
“I told our team that this team, more than any other team I’ve coached, is better equipped to handle a situation like this,” Oats said. “I don’t know how many games we’ve played where we had a decision on playing time. Guy goes in there, warms up and we have to decide whether or not he’s going to play an hour before the game. … We’ve won a lot of games with guys not available, so our guys will be ready to play Hofstra.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
