Alabama guard Aden Holloway is finally set to make his return to the court on November 9 against Oakland, wrapping up a five-game suspension that sidelined him after a serious drug arrest back in March. Coach Nate Oats confirmed the senior guard, who transferred from Auburn in 2024, has been serving the ban and is expected back, giving the Crimson Tide a massive boost to their lineup.
The Charges: 2.1 Pounds and an Indefinite Suspension
Man, this whole situation has been wild. Holloway’s troubles started way back on March 16, just days before the NCAA Tournament, when authorities busted him for first-degree marijuana possession and failure to affix a tax stamp. What did they find? A whopping 2.1 pounds of marijuana in his Tuscaloosa apartment. Talk about a bombshell! Alabama didn’t waste any time, suspending him indefinitely and booting him from campus while they launched a student conduct investigation. That meant he missed out on the Crimson Tide’s run all the way to the Sweet 16. That’s gotta sting, missing your team battling it out in March Madness because of something like that.
From Sweet 16 Miss to Nov. 9 Return: Holloway’s Comeback Trail
But hey, Holloway wasn’t just sitting around. He completed a pretrial diversion program, and just like that, the charges got dismissed. Coach Oats has been pretty vocal about Holloway’s efforts to get back. “He’s done a great job,” Oats said. “He’s applied himself really consistently the last couple months with the work he’s had to do to get back on the team and get the charges dropped.” The suspension officially kicked off Thursday, with Holloway missing the 111-93 win over Furman, a game where Amari Allen went off for 19 points and six assists. He’s also gonna sit out exhibitions against Mississippi and Auburn, plus regular-season matchups against Sam Houston State and Arkansas State.
Oats made it clear the punishment was decided way before the team’s backcourt got hit with injuries, but you know it adds to the pressure. Anderson Diaz and Preston Murphy Jr. are out with upper-body injuries, and Jaxon Richardson’s sidelined by an illness. So, yeah, getting Holloway back on the floor is a big deal, especially since he was the team’s second-leading scorer last season with 16.8 points per game, and he absolutely lit it up from deep, leading the team with 43.8% from three-point land. Oats just wants to move past this, saying, “I’d just like to get it over with as quick as we can and get him back on the floor ’cause he’s done an outstanding job.”
So get ready, because come November 9, Aden Holloway is back on the hardwood against Oakland. You know Alabama fans are gonna be fired up to see their star guard back in action, ready to pick up where he left off and hopefully help fill those injury gaps.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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