In a court set up on the Charlotte Convention Center floor, parents, teens and those who just wanted to see the famous kids with famous dads packed in by the hundreds. Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson was there on the sideline. They were as rowdy as one could be for a game between seventh and eighth graders — screaming at officials, cellphones jostling for position to film the stars-to-be.

It was July 2018 in Charlotte, the USBA middle school national championship. NBA superstar LeBron James coached his Blue Chips middle school team. It featured his son Bronny James and former top-35 recruit Mikey Williams. On the other end of the floor was NBA point guard Chris Paul’s branded team CP3. Its best player was a short, scrawny guard wearing a baggy red No. 10 jersey.

His name was Aden Holloway. Even in his hometown, the publicity wasn’t for his team.

“I call him the quiet assassin,” CP3 coach Jeff Bishop told AL.com. “He loves those moments. He always feels he has to show he’s the best.”

Holloway played well against the more famous opponent. The highlights video shows him with creative drives to the basket and the smooth 3-point shots that have followed him to the college game. Bishop said Holloway may not have matched up to a player like James on the eye test as an undersized guard. He still is.

And in the final moments of regular, Bishop remembered Holloway hit a 3-pointer, freed up to shoot off a high ball screen — just as Auburn runs for Holloway now.

“That’s what we do,” Bishop said. “He’s been coming off the ball screen and shooting it for a long time. Right at the top of the key. He’s won many a tournament coming of the ball screen, having him come left or right. He hits the shot consistently. He likes the moment.”

Holloway and CP3 lost the game in overtime. It’s December 2023 now. More than five years later with a bit more height and muscle on their bones, Holloway and James will see each other again Sunday when USC travels to Neville Arena to play Auburn.

“I think that the guys know who their personnel is,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said during a press conference Friday. “The guys recognize the star power of a USC. Guys recognize that these guys are all heavily recruited. They’ll obviously be excited about playing.”

It’s unclear how much James and Holloway will be on the floor at the same time. James made his first collegiate appearance last Sunday when USC lost 84-79 to Long Beach State. James was only five months removed from going into cardiac arrest during a workout. He played 17 minutes and scored four points in his debut. Auburn will be USC’s first game since the Long Beach State loss.

As Bishop described, Holloway is a quiet player. He won’t be trash-talking or hyping up crowds like fellow Auburn guard KD Johnson. So the matchup fits him well, Bishop said. Like the middle school game, Bishop said Holloway won’t have the attention and that’s fine. He doesn’t want it.

Holloway will start for Auburn as he has every game since playing Notre Dame on Nov. 16. He’s a potential NBA prospect, but Pearl and his players understand the influx of national media and high ticket prices for a non-conference game against a 5-4 team without much history in men’s basketball is because of the names on the backs of USC’s uniforms and not necessarily those on Auburn’s. It’s names beyond just James. There’s guard Isaiah Collier, a projected top pick in the NBA Draft. There’s Boogie Ellis, another NBA-caliber guard.

Pearl called it one of the best backcourts Auburn may face all year.

“Collier, supposedly the best point guard, freshman, that’s the challenge,” Bishop said. “Bronny is a name, so that’s a challenge. He feels slightly at times. But that motivates him. That’s one of the reasons why he didn’t play with USA Basketball. They offered him to come play but he knew that it was going to be if he goes, it’s going to be Collier and it’s going to be Bronny like what he had to go through during the McDonald’s game. So he went and played with Team Canada. It’s like, ‘I don’t have to play with best. I want to play against them. I want to be on the floor.’”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]