Aden Holloway arrest: Alabama confirms guard’s status with team is unchanged after court decision

Alabama junior guard Aden Holloway was granted permission by the Tuscaloosa County Court to travel outside the state in order to attend Friday night’s Sweet 16 game against Michigan in Chicago. Despite that positive development, Holloway remains unavailable to play in the game while still serving his school-mandated suspension, the team announced via BamaOnline‘s Charlie Potter.

“Nothing has changed with regard to Aden’s status with the team,” an Alabama spokesperson confirmed to Potter on Friday.

Holloway was suspended and removed from campus as part of a school-mandated investigation by the university’s Office of Student Conduct following his March 16 arrest on felony drug charges. Holloway was charged with first-degree possession of marijuana and failing to affix a tax stamp after the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force found more than two pounds of marijuana during an early morning raid of his Tuscaloosa apartment last Monday, per AL.com. 

The 21-year-old Holloway has been free after posting a $5,000 bond the day of his arrest, but was originally barred from leaving the state as part of his bond conditions. But Tuscaloosa County District Court Judge Joanne Jannik granted a request filed by Holloway’s attorney, Jason Neff, on Thursday evening that allows Holloway to leave the state of Alabama on Friday and return no later than March 31.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats previously revealed Holloway wasn’t a part of the team’s travel party that arrived in Chicago earlier this week. The fourth-seeded Crimson Tide (25-9) take on top-seeded Michigan (33-3) at 7:35 p.m. ET Friday in the Midwest Region’s Sweet Sixteen game inside Chicago’s United Center.

Holloway, who hasn’t played since his March 16 arrest, has maintained close contact with Oats as the sixth-year Crimson Tide head coach has repeatedly affirmed his unyielding support for his sta player.

“I’ve met with him in person, talked to him on the phone multiple times,” Oats said of Holloway last week while in Tampa for the first weekend of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. “Look, I’m an adult. I’ve made mistakes. We all have things we’d like to do differently. Now is not the time to ignore a kid that you’ve built a real relationship with.”

Holloway is in his second season at Alabama after originally beginning his career at Auburn. A rare transfer between the two in-state rivals, Holloway developed into a vital piece this year. Holloway is currently the Crimson Tide’s second-leading scorer, trailing only Labaron Philon.

In 28 games played, Holloway has averaged 16.8 points per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. He’s also Alabama’s most consistent 3-point shooter, averaging a team-leading 43.8% from beyond the arc for a team that lives and dies by the 3-point shot. Holloway also ranks second on the team with 3.8 assists per game and third at the free-throw line, averaging 86.4% from the charity stripe.