Alabama preparing to play without star Holloway after arrest - ESPN

Alabama coach Nate Oats said the team is preparing to play without star Aden Holloway in the NCAA tournament following Holloway's arrest Monday morning on a felony drug charge.

Holloway was «removed from campus» and is not with the team four days before an NCAA tournament matchup against Hofstra on Friday, per a team spokesperson, after authorities allegedly found more than a pound of marijuana at a home.

«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 Monday evening about Holloway, who is second on the team in scoring at 16.8 PPG. «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."

According to Tuscaloosa County police spokesperson Stephanie Taylor, the 6-foot-1 guard was arrested Monday morning and transported to the Tuscaloosa County jail after agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a local residence and «recovered more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash.» Holloway is facing a first-degree drug possession charge and a failure to affix a tax stamp charge, both felonies. In the state of Alabama, a first-degree drug possession charge can carry a penalty up to 10 years in