A byproduct of Aden Holloway's turbulent end to last season and subsequent uncertain summer is that the rising senior guard is being a bit underrated nationally.
Holloway was arrested a few days before the start of the NCAA Tournament on felony marijuana possession charges. He was suspended from the team and ultimately missed all three of Alabama's March Madness contests.
Clarity has come piece-by-piece in recent weeks, with Holloway entering a second-chance program with the opportunity for the charges to be dropped as a result of completion, and then Greg Byrne revealing that the Crimson Tide star guard has been participating in offseason workouts.
All signs point toward Holloway being back on the court for Alabama when the season starts in November.
His return is not being hyped up enough.
Holloway is one of the nation's most elite and most efficient offensive players. He was Alabama's second-leading scorer last season, putting up 16.8 points per game on 48/44/86 shooting splits. He also averaged nearly four assists a night.
He's one of the best shooters in college basketball, and Nate Oats' system has fit him like a glove since he transferred over from Auburn. There's reason to believe that he'll take an even greater leap as a senior, particularly alongside a roster that was intentionally built around him.
In an article published on ESPN on Monday to commemorate the 100 days until the start of college basketball season, Myron Medcalf and Jeff Borzello offered 10 "wild predictions" for next season. One of them was that Holloway will earn All-SEC honors.
Myron Medcalf believes Aden Holloway is headed toward an All-SEC season for Alabama
We will assume that Medcalf's prediction is that Holloway will be All-SEC first team, considering it's not very bold to predict that a third-team All-SEC performer from last season will get the same honors next season.
Holloway and Amari Allen will lead an Alabama backcourt that has been consistently underrated this offseason, too. Part of that stems from the uncertainty around Holloway, while some of it stems from the refusal of national pundits to accept that Allen is, in fact, a guard.
Oats built this roster to surround Holloway with as much length as he possibly can. Holloway will be joined in the starting five by four players 6-foot-6 or taller. Holloway and late freshman addition Anderson Diaz stand to be the only rotational players who are under that size.
That's a major difference for both Alabama and Holloway. The Crimson Tide has frequently played lineups with four or more players under that height. Allen spent a good chunk of last season playing the four. He'll now play the one or two mostly, with some potential minutes at the three.
That should help maximize Holloway's ability on the offensive end, while hiding him better defensively. It's harder to take advantage of just one small guard on the court in college basketball than it is when you're playing two or three.
Holloway's return to the court is massive for Alabama. He's got a chance to be one of the best guards in the country next season, which would help catapult the Crimson Tide toward legitimate title contention.
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