Nate Oats speaks highly of Aden Holloway’s response to adversity
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Alabama guard Aden Holloway is set to make his 2026-27 debut on Nov. 9 as the Crimson Tide face off against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Holloway is serving a 2-game suspension tied to his March arrest for possession of marijuana, which also kept him out of Alabama’s NCAA Tournament run last season.
On Thursday, a day before Alabama’s matchup against Arkansas State, head coach Nate Oats spoke highly of Holloway and the growth he’s shown in response to the adversity and setbacks he’s faced across the past 7-8 months.
“Holloway’s changed,” Oats began, via BamaOnLine’s Blake Byler. “I can’t wait for you guys to see him as a person and talk to him… When you see Aden Holloway and what he’s about, how he talks to you, how he talks to his teammates, how he plays the game of basketball, sometimes how you handle some adversity in life shows a lot more about you and your character than what maybe got you into the adversity in the first place.”
“Nobody would have said this the past two years, but he’s been a leader since he got back this summer.”
Holloway will surely be a welcome addition for the Crimson Tide. The standout guard averaged 16.8 points per game last season, shooting 48% from the field and 43.8% from 3-point range. It also sounds like he’s grown as a leader, key for an Alabama team that returns just a few players from last season’s Sweet 16 squad.
The Crimson Tide are 1-0 on the year after taking care of business against Sam Houston State on Tuesday, 96-74. As stated earlier, Alabama is set to continue their 2026-27 campaign on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT against Arkansas State.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
