It's been obvious based on how Nate Oats and Preston Murphy have rebuilt Alabama's roster in the Transfer Portal that the current plan is for Aden Holloway to be the team's starting point guard in 2026-27.
Oats effectively confirmed that on Wednesday morning at the Regions ProAm Golf Tournament in Birmingham, with an obvious caveat:
"Obviously, that's the looming question," Oats said when asked about Holloway being a member of next season's team. "Super talented player. There’s a lot of stuff we have to sort through on the legal side of things before we get to that question. Go back to, as we were sorting through this with our staff, let’s control what we can control. We don’t have any control over that.
"We’re gonna let that play out, and there will be a scholarship open still once that all clears. Hopefully he’s able to get through that with a positive outcome, but we have to let the legal process play through on that before we decide anything.”
Nate Oats says Alabama is keeping a scholarship spot open for Aden Holloway
Alabama's lack of aggression in pursuing a guard in the portal has been a bit curious, with Holloway's legal troubles and Amari Allen testing the NBA Draft waters.
Holloway was arrested back in March, just a few days before the start of the NCAA Tournament, and charged with multiple felony counts of marijuana possession. His future on the court will depend on how everything plays out in court.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Holloway's campus ban had been lifted and that he was planning on re-enrolling at the University of Alabama in the fall with plans to rejoin the basketball team.
Holloway would be a rising senior and one of the best guards in the SEC if he's able to play. As a junior, Holloway was second on the team in points per game behind Labaron Philon, averaging 16.8. He shot a career-best 43.8% from three-point range and is one of the most dynamic offensive players in college basketball.
Oats has built the roster to ensure Holloway can thrive on both ends, with nothing but guys 6-foot-6 surrounding him.
With Philon off to the NBA, Holloway will have even more on his plate as a senior, assuming he's able to work through his legal troubles and return to basketball.
With the way Oats has built the roster and the lack of aggression in pursuing a guard, it certainly appears as though he's confident in Holloway's return, even if he didn't explicitly say that on Wednesday.
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