Aden Holloway has 'changed,' Nate Oats says, to be leader for Alabama basketball

The Aden Holloway that Alabama basketball fans see this year will be different.

Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said Holloway has “changed” on Thursday, Nov. 5 while previewing Alabama‘s Friday, Nov. 6 game against Arkansas State, although the senior guard won’t be available to play.

Holloway is still serving a five-game suspension from a marijuana arrest that prevented him from going on a run to the Sweet 16 with the Crimson Tide last season.

A couple minutes on the floor aren’t necessary to see the evolution that Holloway has made. The transformation is internal.

When asked who could replicate the “mudita” embodied by former Alabama guard Houston Mallette, Oats mentioned several players before turning his attention to Holloway.

“I can’t wait for you guys to see him as a person, talk to him,” Oats said.

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Mudita, a Sanskrit and Pali term meaning finding joy in the success of others, has been a cornerstone of Alabama’s culture since Oats borrowed the philosophy from Crimson Tide softball coach Patrick Murphy during the program’s 2023-24 Final Four season.

Few players embraced it quite like Mallette, whose No. 95 jersey represented the importance of impacting a game during the 95% of time a player doesn’t have the basketball.

But as Alabama navigates its first season without Mallette, Oats believes Holloway’s response to adversity has positioned him to become an unexpected leader.

Holloway, who transferred from Auburn ahead of the 2024-25 season, is now Alabama’s longest-tenured player, entering his third season with the Crimson Tide and giving him a familiarity with the program no other player possesses.

“I think sometimes in life, there’s things … sometimes adversity sets you up to be much better in life moving forward,” Oats said.

Holloway was arrested March 16 for possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp, prompting what was then an indefinite suspension that kept Alabama’s second-leading scorer out of the NCAA tournament.

The charges were dismissed in September after Holloway completed a second-chance program. He was reinstated to Alabama’s roster in October but was required to serve a five-game suspension, including three exhibitions and the Crimson Tide’s first two regular-season games.

That suspension will conclude after Alabama faces Arkansas State. Holloway is expected to make his season debut against Oakland on Monday, Nov. 9.

Although Holloway has yet to return to competition, Oats said his growth has been evident since rejoining the team for summer workouts.

“When you see Aden Holloway, and what he’s about, how he talks to you, how he talks to his teammates, how he plays the game of basketball,” Oats said, suggesting those changes will become apparent once Holloway returns.

Oats also emphasized a person’s response to challenges can reveal more about their character than the decisions that created the circumstances in the first place. He indicated Holloway has become a leader within the program, something he acknowledged few would have predicted over the past couple years.

It’s a significant development for a player whose on-court value was already established. Holloway averaged 16.8 points and 3.8 assists last season while shooting 43.8% from 3-point range.

Now, as Alabama prepares to welcome one of its most productive returning players back into the rotation, Oats believes Holloway has something more to contribute than his game.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Aden Holloway has ‘changed,’ Nate Oats says, to be leader for Alabama basketball