By Nick Alvarez
Alabama’s third transfer is a very familiar face for basketball fans in the state. Former Auburn guard Aden Holloway will cross sides in the Iron Bowl rivalry.
Multiple outlets broke Holloway’s decision on Saturday afternoon. UA assistant coach Preston Murphy quickly tweeted a hype video, seemingly confirming the addition of a former five-star recruit.
Holloway, aside from having the connection to the Tigers, offers Nate Oats another shooter and ball-handler; It’s a major recruiting win for an Alabama program learning to rely on transfers in the sport’s modern era.
Holloway started his freshman year on the Plains well, becoming a capable scorer from 3-point range. His best performance was a 24-point outing versus Indiana on Dec. 9. Holloway’s offense and playing time faltered against Southeastern Conference opponents.
In Coleman Coliseum on Jan. 24, Holloway was ineffective in a loss, missing all five of his three-pointers, three assists and two free throws made. As Auburn followed up with a dominant win in Neville Arena, Holloway stayed in a lull, adding six points in 15 minutes.
After an SEC tournament game in Nashville, Holloway told AL.com’s Matt Cohen “he’d never had a stretch like this in his life,” referencing his poor shooting. In the season-ending, upset loss to Yale in the NCAA Tournament, Holloway played 13 minutes and didn’t score.
He averaged 7.3 points, 2.7 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game overall. Holloway entered the portal on April 9, joining K.D. Johnson and Tre Donaldson.
He’s the third guard Oats has brought in via the portal, similar to last year — three of Alabama’s starting guards in 2023 had transferred to Tuscaloosa. The best among them Mark Sears, declared for the NBA Draft but maintained his collegiate eligibility. With Aaron Estrada (graduation) and Rylan Griffen (transfer) both departing, Holloway doesn’t provide as much experience as UA’s other transfers but more upside.
Holloway, Chris Youngblood and Houston Mallette will look to assist the Tide in recapturing a conference title from Auburn and follow up on UA’s Final Four run. The fourth guard in Alabama’s starting lineup, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., has yet to announce his plans for next season but could very well return after a great debut year under Oats.
At Alabama, Holloway will encounter a system that stresses efficient shots. Oats has benched players for not taking open looks. Estrada and Wrightsell Jr. learned that and credited the Tide’s development system for seeking out and building up great shooters. Time will tell if Holloway fits that mold.
