Alabama basketball's Aden Holloway reacts to first career double-double

Alabama basketball junior Aden Holloway started his showing at the Players Era Festival with one of the poorest performances with the Crimson Tide, but ended his time in Las Vegas with his best yet.

In a 105-72 win against Maryland, the guard achieved his first career double-double. A feat he didn't accomplish as a freshman starter at Auburn, or in his sophomore season at Alabama, coming off of the bench in 37 games.

Holloway went 5-for-9 from the floor for five 3s and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to total 17 points. However, his greatest impact was what he did as a distributor.

The 6-foot-1, 180 pound native of Charlotte, North Carolina registered a career-high 10 assists to exceed his previous best of six, which he accomplished under Bruce Pearl.

On Wednesday, Nov. 26, Holloway soaked in the moment surrounded by teammates during his second straight postgame interview with TNT’s Jared Greenberg.

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"It felt good," Holloway said. "Just sharing the wealth, man, that's a great feeling. I ain't going to lie."

Holloway's 10 assists contributed to one of the best offensive performances of the Nate Oats era, tying a record 29 assists for the team. He is also the first Alabama player to notch a double-double during the 2025-26 season. The last was Clifford Omoruyi, who had 10 points and 11 rebounds against Saint Mary’s (CA) in the Round of 32.

What Nate Oats said about Aden Holloway's career-day for Alabama basketball

Coach Nate Oats saw just how good his offense flows when Holloway is moving the ball, too.

"Man, he was really good. His pick-and-roll reads were great. His rim decisions when he got down there were good. Thought his pace was good. He was able to get by guys, get in the paint, spray the ball," Oats said. "I thought he really had it going today."

Versus UNLV and Maryland, Holloway has made 10-of-13 from the arc, a mass improvement from Day 1 against Gonzaga, in which he went 2-for-10 from the perimeter alongside just two assists. He scored 26 points against UNLV and had four dimes.

Oats isn't knocking the idea that Holloway's a better shooter when there's a spike in his assist numbers, saying "when the ball gets moving, it's contagious."

Alabama returns to the court on Dec. 3 for the SEC/ACC Challenge when it faces Clemson. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball's Aden Holloway notches first career double-double