TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama’s men’s basketball program continued to add to its 2024-25 roster on Saturday when former Auburn point guard Aden Holloway committed to the Crimson Tide. Holloway, a former five-star recruit, started 26 of 35 games for the Tigers this past season, averaging 7.3 points and 2.7 assists per game. Holloway visited Alabama on Thursday and figures to be a key rotation piece for next year’s team.
Holloway is the third transfer portal commitment for Alabama during this window, joining guards Houston Mallette (Pepperdine) and Chris Youngblood (South Florida). Holloway’s commitment brings Alabama’s scholarship count to 12.
What does Holloway’s commitment mean for Alabama?
Holloway’s numbers from this past season weren’t eye-popping, but the pairing with Alabama could yield big results. Holloway’s a high-level talent with a year of starting experience under his belt for a team that won the SEC tournament title. Now he joins an Alabama roster where (presumably) he won’t need to carry a large load and can develop without the pressure he faced as a five-star freshman starter.
Assuming Mark Sears returns, Holloway fills a need as a secondary ball-handler who can get Alabama’s offense in and out of its sets when Sears is off the court. Holloway carried a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio this past season and will be another playmaker to create shots for shooters like Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and newcomers Mallette and Youngblood while also being able to create for himself. Should Sears leave, there’s a possibility that Holloway assumes the starting point guard role, or coach Nate Oats could opt for a guard lineup featuring Wrightsell-Mallette-Youngblood and a starting frontcourt that’s to be determined with Grant Nelson weighing an NBA Draft decision.
Holloway shot 31.8 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range this past season, but playing in Alabama’s offense and being surrounded by a litany of shooters should free Holloway up for better looks. One of the areas where he struggled most was scoring from inside the 3-point line, which was an area where Sears took a significant step from the 2022-23 season to this past season.
Holloway, like Sears, is an undersized point guard, and the potential opportunity to learn under Sears would be invaluable. If Holloway can take similar strides under Oats and improve his strength entering his second season, he can become a valuable combo guard in spot minutes. In that same vein, his size led to unfavorable situations on defense, where Alabama struggled last season. That is a concern, but another offseason in a strength program and a team-wide commitment to better defensive play should insulate him a bit.
Alabama has one more roster spot available, which it likely will use for a frontcourt piece. According to Joe Tipton of On3, Alabama is set to host Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi next weekend, Omoruyi is a two-time All-Big Ten defensive selection with one more year of eligibility. The backcourt seems complete with Holloway, who is more of a combo, score-first guard but is a developing playmaker who could see a growing, evolving role under Oats as he grows through the program.
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