Florida's Lee, Alabama's Holloway team up for Canada before clashing in SEC

Florida's Xaivian Lee and Alabama's Aden Holloway didn't know much about one another before teaming up for Canada this summer at the third edition of GLOBL JAM.

The talented guards worked closely during the under-23 international tournament, with Lee starting at the point and Holloway serving as his backup.

GLOBL JAM previously gave eventual NBAers - Keyonte George, Reed Sheppard, and Rob Dillingham - an opportunity to showcase their skills and work on other elements of their game against high-level competition prior to the NCAA campaign.

Lee and Holloway are hoping to benefit in a similar fashion.

"I think a lot of people know that I can create for myself and score, but I'm trying to work on my leadership and be a better passer," Lee told reporters, including theScore, ahead of the tournament.

"I'm trying to work on my reads, be a floor general out there, and obviously, get buckets too. I'm just trying to show my game is really maturing and getting to the next level."

Lee spent his first three collegiate seasons at Princeton. He became one of the most sought-after guards in the transfer portal after averaging 17 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals over the previous two campaigns. He earned All-Ivy League first-team honors in both seasons.

Lee committed to the reigning national champs in April over St. John's and Kansas, citing head coach Todd Golden's strong track record with mid-major guards.

Utah Jazz rookie Walter Clayton Jr. thrived under Golden, developing into a consensus first-team All-American and first-round NBA draft pick within two years of leaving Iona.

Lee will share playmaking duties with fellow transfer Boogie Fland this season, though the latter has been tabbed to succeed Clayton as the starting point guard.

Lee was in complete control as Canada's lead facilitator in August, posting 7.3 dimes per contest and a 3.7 assist-to-turnover ratio across three tournament appearances. The Toronto native regularly made the extra pass, set up his bigs in pick-and-roll actions, found open shooters on the perimeter, and read zone defenses properly.

The 21-year-old also took charge as the appointed team captain for two games, constantly huddling his teammates during stoppages in play.

Team Canada head coach Dave Smart was impressed with Lee's decision-making, especially since the group only had three practices to prepare for GLOBL JAM.

"The game slows down with him when he has the ball, and he doesn't get sped up that often," Smart told theScore following Canada's round-robin victory over the United States. "The last two teams we played are decent at speeding you up. He didn't get sped up and made good plays."

Smart added: "He's done incredibly well because he doesn't know any of the tendencies of his teammates. He's played with a couple of them in the past but not much. ... So, for him and Aden, it's probably tougher for them offensively than it is for anybody."

Holloway's also set for a big role this year alongside sophomore guard Labaron Philon after the Crimson Tide lost Mark Sears to the NBA.

Holloway improved vastly as a finisher and shooter during his first season in Tuscaloosa, tallying 11.4 points on 46.5% shooting - including a 41.2% clip from deep - over 37 appearances in 2024-25. The 6-foot-1 guard also drained the eighth-most threes in the SEC (87) and was ninth in true shooting percentage (62.1%).

There's no denying Holloway's offensive gifts. The former five-star recruit easily creates separation from defenders on step-backs, drills threes when foes go under screens, and has the explosive speed to blow by opponents off the bounce.

Holloway, who's a dual citizen through his mother's Calgary roots, displayed some playmaking chops while donning the maple leaf this summer. The North Carolina native delivered pinpoint lobs to centers out of the pick-and-roll, made hit-ahead passes, and never hesitated to kick the ball out when defenses collapsed on him in the paint. He had an assist-to-turnover ratio of three during the brief tournament.

The opposite end of the floor is where Holloway's biggest shortcomings are. He recorded a team-worst 0.61 Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating - which reflects a player's on-court defensive value - among Alabama players with at least 500 possessions last season, according to EvanMiya.com.

However, Holloway is showing some defensive progress ahead of his junior year. Despite not filling the stat sheet with steals and blocks, he made his presence felt at GLOBL JAM by continually fighting over ball screens and playing scrappy on-ball defense.

Smart singled out Holloway's defense on Georgetown guard Malik Mack, who shot just 5-of-21 from the field and committed four turnovers in a round-robin loss to Canada. Holloway put forth the same pesky effort during Alabama's preseason, receiving the team's hard hat for making the most hustle plays during an exhibition victory over Furman.

"He's not a big guy, so he becomes a target as soon as he walks on the floor," Smart said of Holloway. "At the EuroLeague level, at the NBA level, they just hunt guys. That's what they do. The other problem is he's insanely gifted and talented (offensively), so that's the other reason people hunt people on the other side of the ball."

Smart added: "Maybe it just resonated that, 'If I'm always going to be this size and this talented, the easiest way for another team to get me off the floor is to hunt me on the other end.' ... What he's got to do at the defensive end is make sure that, by trying to hunt him, it hurts (the opponent's) offense."

Lee and Holloway are certainly benefitting from the extra gameplay during the offseason, but being around the Canadian coaching staff has also been helpful for their long-term development.

Canadian assistant Myck Kabongo served as a valuable resource for the two guards given his own basketball journey and his experience playing the same position. The 33-year-old was a top high school prospect, earned Big 12 All-Freshman honors with Texas, and played across the globe over his 11-year pro career.

"He's a great coach. It's just always good to learn from people that have been where you're trying to get," Holloway told theScore.

Lee and Holloway aspire to play at the next level, but their sights are currently set on the new collegiate campaign, when they'll go from teammates to SEC foes.

Florida was ranked third in the AP preseason poll, while Alabama sits 15th. If either team makes a deep NCAA Tournament run, there's a pretty good chance the Canadians will have their fingerprints all over it.

The Gators and Crimson Tide won't meet until Feb. 1, but that hasn't stopped Holloway from talking "a little bit" of trash to Lee.

Lee had a breakout sophomore campaign after representing Canada at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup. He's hopeful that another summer with the national program will have the same effect.

"You're playing different countries, not just different colleges in different states. So, everyone has their own different style," Lee said. "I thought I learned a lot from guards from Spain or Brazil. ... It's just very cool to see how the game is played in different places. I think it kind of helps us learn more about the sport and get better at it."