Does Aden Holloway’s transfer to Alabama give rivalry more juice? What Bruce Pearl thinks

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

Following one season with Auburn basketball, Aden Holloway, a former five-star recruit in the Class of 2023 who was also a McDonald’s All-American, transferred across the state to Alabama in April. His departure from the Plains and arrival in Tuscaloosa comes after he helped the Tigers to an SEC tournament title and their third consecutive appearance in March Madness.

Holloway had his strengths − his assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.03 ranked No. 4 amongst all players in the SEC last season, per College Basketball Analytics − but his efficiency lacked from beyond the 3-point arc; Holloway entered college with shooting being his expected best attribute, but he made 30.2% of his triples as a freshman.

HOOPS: Noting the few areas of concern for Auburn basketball in 2024-25; there aren’t many

FOOTBALL: What are realistic expectations for QB Payton Thorne in Year 2 with Auburn?

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

“Sure, yeah,” Pearl said. “It’d be like if Auburn’s quarterback went and played 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 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, though, he’ll be a weapon for coach Nate Oats.

The 6-foot-1 Holloway averaged 7.3 points, 2.7 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 35 games last season. He made 31.8% of his shots from the field.

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

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Aden Holloway: What Bruce Pearl said about former AU guard’s transfer