Aden Holloway Arrested, Not With Team Ahead of Alabama’s NCAA Tournament Game

Just days before the program’s first-round NCAA tournament game, Alabama men's basketball player Aden Holloway was arrested on Monday and is facing two felony drug charges: first-degree possession of marijuana not for personal use and failure to affix a tax stamp, according to the Tuscaloosa Police Department.

The former charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in jail and a fine of $15,000.

The latter charge refers to a law passed in 1988, which requires any individual who sells drugs to pay a tax and affix a stamp to the drug. Agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force say they “recovered more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash” after conducting a search of a residence near the University of Alabama's campus.

Holloway, a junior guard and Alabama’s second-leading scorer, was transported to county jail, where his bond was set at $5,000. He has since been released.

“The University is aware of the allegations and is working to gather more information,” the school said in a statement obtained by Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer. “The student has been removed from campus pending further investigation by the UA Office of Student Conduct.”

While neither the program nor coach Nate Oats has said anything concrete, it would seem that Holloway’s status for the Crimson Tide in this week’s NCAA tournament is very much in doubt. Alabama, a No. 4 seed, is scheduled to take on No. 13 seed Hofstra in the first round on Friday at 3:15 p.m. ET.

Nate Oats addressed the Aden Holloway situation on his radio show Monday

Hours after news of Holloway’s arrest broke, Oats appeared on his Hey Coach radio show, and briefly touched on the situation surrounding his star guard, confirming that the program is preparing to go without him when the NCAA tournament tips off this week.

“Look, we’ve got standards in our program. We’ve got ways we’ve held our guys accountable,” Oats said, per Mike Rodak of 247 Sports. “We try to keep everything in-house. Obviously some of the situations you can’t. This is one of those. Situation is a little different when we found out what was going on this morning—I found out this morning. I guess it all went down this morning. We had to suspend him pending the investigation by the UA office of student conduct. We’re disappointed in his behavior. With that said, we still love him. He’s still our guy. We're going to get him the help that he needs. ... We're preparing to play without him this weekend.”

Oats cited Latrell Wrightsell Jr. as a player who stepped up in Monday’s practice amid Holloway’s absence.

What does Holloway’s arrest, potential absence mean for Alabama in March Madness?

It means that the Crimson Tide could potentially be without their second-leading scorer and most accurate three-point shooter. It’s far from ideal, given that Alabama had the best offense in the country this season and made more three-pointers than any team.

In addition to his sharpshooting, Holloway also proved capable of handling the ball and running the Crimson Tide offense with star point guard Labaron Philon Jr. off the floor. Holloway’s potential absence would thrust more of the scoring load onto Philon, while demanding more of Wrightsell, the program’s third-leading scorer and a streaky shooter. Fortunately, Wrightsell and fellow guard Houston Mallette are seniors and experienced enough to step in and take on even more responsibility should Holloway miss the tourney.

The potential for the Crimson Tide to be without Holloway could also open the door for Hofstra, one of the top Cinderella teams on SI college basketball writer Kevin Sweeney’s rankings. With elite guard play, rim protection and an aggressive approach on the offensive glass, the Pride, already in position to pull off the potential upset, could give the perhaps-vulnerable Crimson Tide a run for their money on Friday.

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