Aden Holloway will return to Alabama basketball, but it'll be a little longer before you see him back on the court. Per Nick Kelly of AL.com, Holloway is back on the Crimson Tide's roster, but he will serve a suspension to begin the season. Holloway will miss Alabama's three exhibition games and the first two regular-season games.
Alabama opens its exhibition schedule on Thursday night at home against Furman and will play both Ole Miss and Auburn in exhibitions in Birmingham later this month. Nate Oats and company open the regular season with Sam Houston and then Arkansas State on November 3rd and 6th, respectively.
All in all, Holloway's felony marijuana arrest from March will cost the rising senior five real games. Along with the two-game suspension to open the 2026-27 season, he was suspended and missed the Crimson Tide's three NCAA Tournament games.
Holloway is one of the top returning guards in college basketball. He was second on the team last year with a 16.8 points per game average. He's one of the best shooters in the nation, knocking down three-pointers on a 43.8% clip as a junior.
So who starts in his place while he's out? We recently projected the starting lineup like this:
- Amari Allen
- Aden Holloway
- London Jemison
- Drew Fielder
- Brandon Garrison
I think there are four legitimate options to replace him:
The top 4 options to start for Alabama during Aden Holloway's suspension
4. Anderson Diaz
If you want to keep it clean and insert the guy whose game most closely resembles Holloway's, then you go with freshman Anderson Diaz, who was a late addition to the roster via reclassification. It might be asking too much for a guy who should be a high school senior this year to open the season as a starter, but it's not like he's going to be up against the tougher opponents on the schedule. Sam Houston and Arkansas State are two of the lighter non-conference matchups for the Tide.
Diaz has a similar game to Holloway with his ability to knock down shots and get to the rim. He has the playmaking ability you want from a potential lead guard. His best basketball will be down the road, and he's on a two-year plan in Tuscaloosa, with this year more of a developmental year than anything else, but he can help this team.
He might get an opportunity right away.
3. Jaxon Richardson
Another freshman, 5-star Jaxon Richardson has brought the energy and effort to Tuscaloosa that Oats covets. He appears to have already emerged as a team leader. He has been front and center in a lot of the promo videos released by the media team.
Richardson should have a role this year as an energizer bunny, but how big that role becomes will depend on how much his jumper develops. If he can push toward being a 35% or better three-point shooter, not only will he be difficult to keep off the floor, but his athletic ability will combine to make him a potential lottery pick next summer.
Oats' work in the high school recruiting class and Transfer Portal points to defense being a massive priority for this year's team. Richardson might already be one of the best defenders on the roster.
2. Cole Cloer
Oats has called London Jemison a "guard" several times in the past, which might sound weird considering he played the majority of his minutes last year at the four and even five spots. But that was out of necessity. Jemison is more of a wing, and with Alabama's portal work bringing in three bigs, he should play on the wing all year long.
It's possible that Jemison could slot down to the two with NC State transfer Cole Cloer earning a starting spot. Cloer could very well beat out Jemison for the starting three spot to begin with thanks to his shooting ability.
Cloer may already be the second-best three-point shooter on the roster behind Holloway, and Alabama will sacrifice some shooting the first couple of games without the senior guard. Cloer could help with that.
1. Qayden Samuels
The most likely replacement, in my mind, is 5-star SG Qayden Samuels. He's a certified bucket-getter and should help alleviate some of the offensive burden that will fall on Amari Allen's shoulders with Holloway out to begin the season.
Samuels isn't yet known as much of a playmaker, which is why he will likely play more on the wing for the Crimson Tide instead of at guard, but his ability to score from all over the court, as well as get off ball-screens and launch threes, could be pivotal for the offense with Holloway out.
How willing a defender Samuels is will likely determine his freshman role.
Thursday night's exhibition matchup vs. Furman will give us a good idea of Oats' thoughts on it all.
Add us as a preferred source on Google