Alabama relying on guard depth for Hofstra March Madness showdown after Aden Holloway arrest

TAMPA — Alabama is prepared to play Hofstra in its NCAA Tournament first-round game Friday without its second-leading scorer, Aden Holloway.

Holloway, who averaged 16.8 points per game, was arrested Monday after authorities found more than two pounds of marijuana in his apartment and hit him with a Class C felony drug possession charge, “not for personal use.”

According to reports, Holloway was “removed from campus.”

He wasn’t with the team for its practice Thursday at the Benchmark Arena.

“For right now, the team is just preparing to play with who’s at practice, and he’s obviously not there,’’ Alabama coach Nate Oats said Thursday. “We’ll prepare to play without him.’’

Oats went on to say the team is “best equipped to lose’’ a guard because of the team’s depth there.

Jalil Bethea, a sophomore from Philadelphia, is expected to play a larger role in Holloway’s place.

“Jalil has done a great job prepping, keeping his head to where it needs to be [and is] super talented,’’ Oats said.

“I think our team is really well-equipped to handle adversity,’’ fellow guard Houston Mallette said. “We have multiple guys equipped to step up. Jalil Bethea, he’s special.’’

Oats said he’s “met’’ with Holloway “in person’’ since the arrest and “talked to him on the phone multiple times.’’

“Look, I’m an adult,’’ he said. “I’ve made mistakes. We all have things we’d like to do differently. Now is not the time to ignore a kid that you’ve built a real relationship with. Now is the time he needs more love from the adults in his life than at any point.’’

Hofstra AD Rick Cole Jr. made a call the other day to invite former Pride coach Joe Mihalich and his wife, Mary, to accompany the team on its NCAA Tournament journey.

Mihalich coached Hofstra from 2013-21 before he was forced to step down after suffering a stroke.

It was Mihalich who hired current coach Speedy Claxton as a special assistant in 2013, paving the way for his head coaching career.

As he stood courtside watching the team practice Thursday, Mihalich told The Post, “I cried when Rick called.’’

This trip is particularly special for Mihalich because he led Hofstra to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2020, but the tournament was canceled because of COVID-19.

“I still think about that every day … I’ll never get over it,’’ he said.

“He handled that 2020 situation with such grace,’’ Cole said. “Joe and Mary are an incredible part of our family, and we’re thrilled that they were able to make the trip.’’

Claxton said, “It means everything having one of my biggest coaching mentors with me here in this moment. Coach Mihalich is the one who taught me the college game and to see basketball through a coaching lens. I’m happy to share this moment with him.’’

One of the coolest wide-eyed moments of the day for Hofstra came when the three Pride players at the podium for the school’s media availability — Cruz Davis, Preston Edmead and German Plotnikov — took the placards with their names on them after the press conference was over as keepsakes.

An NCAA official had to send someone into the Hofstra locker room to retrieve them because they’ll be needed after the game Friday.

The official promised they can have them after the tournament.

“I want them to embrace everything, enjoy the moment,’’ Claxton said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been here [25 years]. I want my guys to embrace the moment.’’

Claxton said the closest comparison style-wise for Alabama in Hofstra’s league, the CAA, is William and Mary.

Hofstra lost 89-82 to William and Mary in the regular season and defeated it 92-61 in the CAA tournament.

“They play a similar style tempo,’’ Claxton said. “We told our guys, ‘Think of William and Mary on steroids’ — more athletic, bigger, faster, stronger.’ ’’