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Aden Holloway arrest: Nate Oats confirms guard didn't travel with team for Sweet 16

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax03/25/26BarkleyTruax

Aden Holloway did not travel with Alabama to Chicago for the team’s Sweet 16 game on Friday vs. Michigan, head coach Nate Oats told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. He hasn’t been available at all in the NCAA Tournament after his arrest early last week on marijuana charges.

Holloway averages 16.8 points per game for the Crimson Tide as the team’s second-leading scorer. He’s in his second season with the program after spending a year at Auburn.

As it stands, Holloway is facing two charges including first-degree possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp. Police found 2.1 pounds of marijuana in his Tuscaloosa apartment — one ounce less than what would be considered drug trafficking in the state. He eventually posted a $5,000 bond.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats has since addressed the incident. Notably, he doesn’t want to “disappear” on Holloway just because he made a mistake.

“I’ve met with him in person, talked to him on the phone multiple times,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said on the matter ahead of the NCAA Tournament last week. “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. Now is the time he needs more love from the adults in his life than at any point.”

Police discovered the marijuana while serving a search warrant on his Tuscaloosa residence at 8:45 a.m. CT on March 16. Police reportedly found loose and vacuum-sealed marijuana, a rolling tray, and packaging material. Holloway stated that he only smokes.

Notably, he was suspended from the Alabama basketball team and was also removed from campus pending investigation from the UA Office of Student Conduct. That investigation has not come to a conclusion as of this report.

For now, the Crimson Tide will move forward without him. Tip-off between the Crimson Tide and Wolverines is set for Friday at 7:35 p.m. ET live on TBS and truTV. The winner faces off against either Tennessee or Iowa State in the Elite Eight on Sunday.