Cops: Bama's Holloway had 2.1 pounds of pot

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- Nine African players to watch at March MadnessDuke Blue Devils9hLeonard SolmsMen's basketball coaching carousel tracker: Who could be up next at Butler?Boston College Eagles21hJeff BorzelloAlabama's Aden Holloway found with 2.1 pounds of marijuanaplayHow does Aden Holloway's potential absence impact Alabama's tournament run
(1:06)Sean Farnham analyzes how Alabama will adjust without Aden Holloway after his arrest on a felony drug charge
(1:06)Myron MedcalfMar 17, 2026, 12:25 PM ETClose Covers college basketball
Joined ESPN.com in 2011
Graduate of Minnesota State University, MankatoFollow on XMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintAuthorities found 2.1 pounds of marijuana in Alabama star Aden Holloway's apartment when he was arrested on a felony drug possession charge Monday morning, according to charging documents obtained by ESPN on Tuesday.The amount discovered in the arrest is significant because any amount of marijuana above 2.2 pounds -- or a kilogram -- in the state of Alabama can result in a drug trafficking charge.Holloway, who was "removed from campus" and is not with the team days before the NCAA tournament because of the arrest, told police he wanted to exercise his Miranda rights and remain silent during the search of his apartment but then told police "he only smokes."Coach Nate Oats said the team is preparing to play without Holloway when it faces Hofstra on Friday in the NCAA tournament.Holloway posted $5,000 bail and was released from the Tuscaloosa County jail shortly after his arrest.He has been charged with a class C felony drug possession charge, "not for personal use," and a failure to affix a tax stamp charge
They are both felonies and they both carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail and a $15,000 fine.Per the charging documents, the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force was executing a search warrant at Holloway's apartment when authorities found marijuana in a backpack, a jacket pocket, a suitcase, in a TV entertainment stand and a vacuum-sealed bag, along with cash, the prescription sedative promethazine, a "rolling tray" and packaging materials.That was just in one room.Authorities also found marijuana in a box and a drawer in a spare bedroom.It's unclear what prompted the search warrant.Per the charging documents, authorities believe Holloway was in possession of "marijuana for other than personal use" and "did possess, distribute, sell, transport, import, transfer or otherwise use a controlled substance, to wit: marijuana, on which a tax had not been imposed."Holloway did not have a prescription for the promethazine, per authorities, which could result in another charge.Per a statement from the school, Holloway was removed from campus Monday pending an investigation by Alabama's Office of Student Conduct.On his radio show Monday, Oats said that Holloway has to be held "accountable.""We got standards in our program and we've got ways we've held our guys accountable
And we try to keep everything in-house, obviously some of the situations you can't, and this is one of those," Oats said on his radio show on Monday evening about Holloway, who is second on the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game
"We found out about what was going on this morning, I found out this morning
I guess it all went down this morning
And we had to suspend him pending the investigation
We're certainly disappointed in his behavior
But that being said, we still love him, he's still our guy
We're helping him get the help that he needs and we're going to continue to help him whatever way we can
But as far as our team goes, I thought we had a great practice, we're preparing to play without him this weekend."Holloway is a key player for an Alabama team that is ranked third in adjusted offensive efficiency
The Crimson Tide are also leading the nation at 91.7 points per game
With Holloway on the court this season, Alabama has been 9.7 points per 100 possessions better on offense, according to EvanMiya.com, than they've been without him
He has also been the leading scorer in four of the team's last 11 games
He's an elite 3-point shooter (44%) and possesses the highest offensive rating on the team on KenPom.His absence would put more pressure on Labaron Philon Jr., a projected first-round pick in the NBA draft this summer
Alabama shoots more 3-pointers, per possession, than any team in America and Holloway is the team's top 3-point shooter.He scored 18 points Friday in his team's loss to Ole Miss in the opening round of the SEC tournament.As for the NCAA tournament, Alabama could be without one of its best players against a Hofstra squad that has lost one game since Jan
But Oats said his team has to move forward."While at the same time, Aden is one of our guys and everybody wants to wrap their arms around and love him
Everybody makes mistakes in life, but they also understand, we've gotta move on and we've got a whole other group of guys and the team's gotta go play Friday
I thought we did a good job of that this morning, kind of addressing the situation," Oats said on his radio show.He added: "I did tell our team, this team -- more than any team I've ever coached -- is better equipped to handle a situation like this
We've won plenty of games with guys not available."ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello contributed to this report.