As the NCAA tournament approaches in a matter of days, the Alabama team will probably be missing a key member of its roster.
Reports from several sources indicate that Aden Holloway, a junior guard, was taken into custody on Monday following a drug search at a Tuscaloosa home, where law enforcement reportedly discovered more than a pound of cannabis.
The 21-year-old Holloway faces charges of first-degree cannabis possession and not attaching a tax stamp. During the search, officers also located drug-related equipment and currency.
Based on information from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Holloway secured release from the Tuscaloosa County jail after posting a $5,000 bond at 10:45 a.m. CT.
The University of Alabama issued a statement to various reporters, confirming that Holloway has been suspended from campus.
“The University is aware of the allegations and is working to gather more information. The student has been removed from campus pending further investigation by the UA Office of Student Conduct,” said the statement.
During his regular Monday night radio program, Coach Nate Oats of Alabama discussed the apprehension of Holloway.
“We’ve got standards in our program,” Oats said, via AL.com. “We’ve got ways we’ve held our guys accountable. 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 I found out this morning, 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, and we’re going to continue to help him whatever way we can.”
Possessing marijuana in the first degree within Alabama constitutes a Class C felony under state law. A conviction for Holloway could lead to a maximum of a decade in state prison and a fine reaching $15,000. Additionally, according to the Polson law firm, he might incur a six-month suspension of his driver’s license and be required to attend compulsory drug awareness courses.
As detailed by patch.com, the offense of not affixing a tax stamp pertains to illicit substances held without the requisite state taxation being settled.
This apprehension of Holloway occurred the day following the Crimson Tide’s assignment of a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. The squad is scheduled to compete against the No. 13 Hofstra team in the initial round of the competition on Friday.
Alabama would experience a considerable detriment due to Holloway’s unavailability. During his junior year, Holloway recorded an average of 16.8 points and 3.8 assists, making him the team’s second-highest scorer, just trailing sophomore guard Labaron Philon.
“I thought our guys, at the same time, you know Aden’s one of our guys and everybody wants to wrap their arms around him, everybody makes mistakes in life,” Oats said. “But they also understand that we’ve gotta move on and we’ve got a whole other group of guys, and the team’s got to go play Friday. So, thought we did a good job of that this morning, kind of addressing the situation, what we currently knew at the time, and got our guys focused in practice.”
