Alabama's junior guard Aden Holloway, recently arrested on felony drug charges, has been given the green light by a judge to travel out of state as his team heads to the NCAA Tournament in Chicago.
Despite this development, Holloway's status with the Crimson Tide remains unchanged, as confirmed by the school. Since his arrest on March 16, he hasn't been part of the team.
Holloway faced charges of first-degree possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp, both felonies, after authorities discovered about 2.1 pounds of marijuana and packaging materials in his apartment. He was released on a $5,000 bond and missed Alabama's first two NCAA Tournament victories, which secured their spot in the Sweet 16 against Michigan at United Center.
Court documents reveal that Holloway has been permitted to leave the state from Friday to Tuesday. Should Alabama, the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region, triumph over No. 1 seed Michigan, they would face either No. 2 seed Iowa State or No. 6 seed Tennessee on Sunday, with a Final Four berth at stake.
Holloway is officially listed as “out” for Friday’s game, according to the NCAA availability report released Thursday night. Playing him could present issues, as teams must maintain transparency regarding player availability.
The final report will drop two hours before the 7:35 p.m. ET tipoff.
As Alabama's second-leading scorer, averaging 16.8 points per game, and top 3-point shooter with a 43.8 percent success rate, Holloway's absence hasn't yet hindered the Crimson Tide. They've convincingly defeated Hofstra and Texas Tech by a total of 45 points in the tournament's opening rounds.
Coach Nate Oats, when asked about Holloway last week in Tampa, Fla., stated, “You know what, I’m not sure where that’s all going to go. We’ll kind of address things as they come up.
But for right now, the team is just preparing to play with who’s at practice, and he’s obviously not there. We’ll prepare to play without him and address that matter if it comes up.”
Following his arrest, Holloway was removed from campus by the university’s office of student conduct. To rejoin the team, he would need clearance from this office, though their rulings remain private.