Does Aden Holloway’s transfer to Alabama add fuel to the rivalry? What Bruce Pearl thinks

HOOVER – As if the Iron Bowl of Basketball needed more intrigue.

After one season at Auburn basketball, Aden Holloway, a former five-star recruit in the class of 2023 who was also a McDonald’s All-American, transferred to Alabama in April. His departure from the Plains and arrival in Tuscaloosa comes after helping the Tigers win the SEC Tournament title and their third straight March Madness appearance.

Holloway had his strengths – his 3.03 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked fourth among all SEC players last season, by College Basketball Analytics − but lacked efficiency beyond the 3-point arc; Holloway entered college with shooting as his best expected attribute, but he hit 30.2% of his triples as a freshman.

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Asked Tuesday at an AMBUSH event at the Finley Center whether Holloway’s move to top rival Auburn gives the Iron Bowl some more meaning, Tigers coach Bruce Pearl used a football analogy to get his point across. .

“Of course, yes,” said Pearl. “It would be like Auburn’s quarterback going to play quarterback for Alabama. What do you think that would do for the Iron Bowl? It would make it more interesting and continue to add to the rivalry.”

Holloway will likely play off the bench at Alabama next season, considering the fact that point guard Mark Sears withdrew from the 2024 NBA Draft and is returning for another run with the Crimson Tide. If he can find his shooting stroke, he will be a weapon for coach Nate Oats.

The 6-foot-5 Holloway averaged 7.3 points, 2.7 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 35 games last season. He shot 31.8% from the field.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached by email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser: Aden Holloway: What Bruce Pearl said about former UA guard’s transfer