Aden Holloway arrest: Charles Barkley hopes Alabama reinstates embattled guard next season

While his teammates were taking on 13th-seeded Hofstra in their first-round NCAA Tournament game Friday afternoon in Tampa, embattled Alabama guard Aden Holloway was back in Tuscaloosa dealing with the consequences of his arrest Monday on felony drug charges. Holloway, the Crimson Tide’s second-leading scorer, is out on bond but currently suspended by the university pending an investigation by the school’s office of student conduct.

Ahead of Friday 3:15 pm ET tip inside Tampa’s Paycom Arena, college basketball analyst and Auburn alum Charles Barkley addressed Holloway’s situation and expressed his hope Alabama will eventually reinstate the talented Crimson Tide guard ahead of the 2026-27 season, once his legal situation is resolved.

“No. 1, I want the young kid to know that you made a mistake, everybody makes mistakes, none of us are perfect. I hope they reinstate him next year. The right thing to do was to suspend him for the rest of the year. That was like a no-brainer,” Barkley said pregame on truTV. “I know the young kid a little bit because he actually played at Auburn. … I try not to be judgmental, but he had to be suspended, and they did the right thing. I hope they reinstate him, I hope Coach (Nate Oats) stays in contact with him, but this is a teaching moment.

“I feel bad for him, because he let his teammates down. That’s the thing you tell these kids: it ain’t just about you,” Barkley added. “(Holloway) let himself down first, he let his family down second, and he let the team down in that order in my opinion. I hope they welcome him back next year, but they did the right thing suspending him for the rest of this season.”

Holloway, 21, is facing two felony charges of first-degree possession of marijuana and failing to affix a tax stamp after West Alabama Narcotics Task Force found more than two pounds of marijuana during a Monday morning raid of his Tuscaloosa apartment, per AL.com. Along with his pending criminal charges, Holloway has also been barred from Alabama’s campus and is facing potential university discipline pending the school’s own investigation into his arrest. Police reportedly found loose marijuana, a vacuum-sealed bag of marijuana, a rolling tray, and packaging material, according to the deposition and charge sheet obtained by AL.com. Holloway was later released on a $5,000 bond.

Nate Oats updates Alabama guard’s NCAA Tournament status at team practice

Alabama head men’s basketball coach Nate Oats addressed Holloway’s situation while meeting with reporters Thursday ahead of Friday’s first-round NCAA Tournament game.

“I’m not sure where that’s all gonna go,” Oats told reporters Thursday. “We’ll kind of address things as they come up. For right now, the team is preparing to play with who’s at practice, and he’s obviously not there. We’ll prepare to play without him.”

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.

— On3’s Thomas Goldkamp and Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.