By ADAM ZAGORIA
Five-star forward Nate Ament popped for Tennessee on Easter Sunday.
The 6-foot-9 Ament also considered Duke,, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Louisville. He is the projected No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, per ESPN.
“Coach [Rick] Barnes sees me as a one-and-done type player,” Ament told ESPN. “He has done it before with Kevin Durant. He sees me as that kind of guy for his program. I built a great relationship with the coaching staff. I trust them a lot, and they have big goals for me. I think they’ll do a great job of developing me as a player and a young man. I trust the coaches to help me get to the next level.”
Duke was involved until late before Tennessee became the favorite.
“This was a very hard decision,” Ament said. “It took me a little longer than most. I wanted to make sure it was the right fit. I could have gone to any of the five finalists. Or even to schools outside the finalists. Ultimately, I felt like this was the best place for me and my family, and the coaching staff was the best fit for me. I was looking at the transfer portal and rosters for next season, asking myself how I would fit with teammates? How much can I trust the coaches I am talking to? What goals do they have, and do they align with mine?”
He said he believes Tennessee can compete for an NCAA championship.
“I feel like we’ll be a national championship team,” Ament said. “We’re going to go on that kind of run. The coaches told me they plan to use me as an offensive weapon and then develop my defensive side. They don’t assign me a position. They joke about it, but they see me as just a player. I can do everything on both ends of the floor.”
Ament becomes the third top-five recruit to ever choose Tennessee.
“We are ecstatic to welcome Nate Ament and his fantastic family to Rocky Top,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “While everyone is aware of just how special a player Nate is, what really drew us to him throughout the recruiting process was the type of person he is. Nate is a high-character, family-oriented young man with a tremendous, caring support system around him who will mesh with our program from day one. He brings a dynamic skill set to the hardwood, embodying the attributes of a modern basketball player.
“Standing out with next-level positional size, he possesses the rare combination of the ability to dribble, pass and shoot with confidence and precision,” Barnes continued. “Nate has a strong basketball IQ to go along with an excellent pairing of skill and toughness. He’s the kind of versatile talent who can impact the game in a variety of ways and, in our eyes, he was the No. 1 player in the class. We are thrilled to have him in orange.”
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