How Aden Holloway Performed in First Game Back from Suspension

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama basketball guard Aden Holloway made his 2026-27 season debut during Monday night's 109-68 home win over Oakland. It was Holloway's first contest against another program since the Crimson Tide's loss to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament on March 13.

Holloway was suspended during the NCAA Tournament after being arrested on multiple drug charges. His case was dismissed after completing a second-chance program that required community service and passing drug/alcohol screenings, but his suspension carried over into Alabama's three preseason exhibitions and first two regular-season games.

Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats opened up about how much "Holloway's changed," and emphasized that "sometimes adversity sets you up to be much better in life moving forward." He was named a starter against Oakland and the Coleman Coliseum crowd was at its loudest when his name was announced during the intros. Holloway was smiling ear-to-ear, knowing all eyes would be on him.

So now the real question: how did he play?

Oats mentioned last week that Holloway's defense has picked up since last season, and that showed quickly. Holloway had this intensity about him from the jump, not giving his assignment much space — with or without the ball. He didn't record a steal or block during the first half, but making the opponent uncomfortable in your first game back after quite some time is very much a positive.

"I thought he was definitely better than he was for most of the games last year, Oats said during the postgame press conference. "I think there were a few games where he showed his capability, particularly the one down at LSU. I thought this version of him was a lot more like what we're going to see all year, because it's been a lot more like this in practice.

"I mean, blue-collar stuff, he wasn't one of our highest, but I thought he did a good job staying in front of the ball, not getting beat. I thought he's better than what he was first first two years here, and so we can take this, work off it, keep building."

The 2025-26 All-SEC Third Team member was the Tide’s second-leading scorer with 16.8 points. In other words, he has been known for his offense rather than his defense for quite some time. When asked just before the season opener which player would get the last shot when a given game is on the line, Oats didn't hesitate: "If I can get a wide-open shot for anybody on the team, Holloway doesn't miss."

Fans in Coleman Coliseum had their cameras out every time Alabama was on offense to start the game. They wanted the ball in Holloway's hands and for him to showcase his renowned shooting abilities. But he was a bit rusty to start, as his first shot from the right wing hit off the left side of the backboard.

Holloway didn't shoot much during the first half, but his third attempt with two minutes remaining was the first one that fell. He hit the shot from the right wing and Alabama fans went berserk. It made the score 50-26. Holloway's confidence continued to grow, as he sank another three-pointer off a fastbreak with 37 seconds left in the first period.

Alabama led 56-29 at the break. Holloway was up to six points on 2 of 5 from the field (all attempts from deep), with two assists, a rebound and a turnover in 11 minutes of action. Despite starting alongside fellow guard Amari Allen, Holloway was often on the floor without him, as the 6-foot-2 man took the ball up and made the first read.

"He's been playing great in practice and is all about the right stuff," Oats said. "Comes in, I thought maybe a little jittery at the beginning, maybe just missed shots. But I think he's been great at getting the ball moving. So it's great to have him early. Help with the ball movement."

As the halftime score suggests, this was a runaway game for the Crimson Tide. Oats mixed and matched players and frequently made substitutions. Holloway was in a number of lineup combinations, including a couple of instances where he shared the floor with Anderson Diaz, the only player on the roster besides Holloway and Preston Murphy Jr. under 6-foot-6.

Holloway continued to let it fly in the second half, shooting 2 of 3 from downtown in another 10 minutes on the floor.

In total, Holloway's numbers for his 2026-27 season debut: 12 points (4 of 8 from behind the arc), two rebounds, two assists, three fouls and one turnover in 21 minutes. Not bad after 241 days without competition.

"I think you guys can tell he's trying to be the right leader," Oats said. "I think he's been a really good leader. He's trying to help lead these young guys. You know, we got five freshmen playing a lot of minutes. He's trying to help lead them.

"It's hard to be the leader that we need him to be if he's not going to play hard on the defensive end. I thought he played pretty hard on that end of the floor tonight. So I was happy with his effort tonight."

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