The Tennessee Vols hope to get to the first Final Four in program history on the backs of one of their most talented rosters ever and led by the top prospect in program history, Nate Ament. Ament, a 6-10 swing forward from Manassas, VA, will lead the Vols as they look to take one more step after a disappointing Elite Eight loss to runner-up Houston in the NCAA Tournament.
Can Nate Ament Lead Tennessee Vols to Their First Final Four Berth?
Expectations
The Vols have struggled in years past, although yielding talented rosters, while seemingly lacking a go-to scorer who can dominate the game and put the team on his back. A true freshman and just the third top-five recruit in school history, Ament is joining the likes of Allan Houston and Tobias Harris before him for Tennessee basketball lore. Coming in as the top prospect from the state of Virginia and the number four prospect in the 2025 class, Ament averaged 19 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists per game, leading his Highland squad to a 42-8 record and a state title before moving to Knoxville.
Joining experienced big men in Felix Okpara and Cade Phillips, Ament will develop his perimeter game for the next level and be a matchup nightmare for opposing forwards with his length and size mirroring his favorite player, Kevin Durant, who also was a Rick Barnes recruit and superstar during Barnes’ tenure at Texas. With limited guard depth behind Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Ament most certainly will be the focal point and fill a void Tennessee has had for years: a big man who can score inside while also getting their own shot from the perimeter to stretch the defense. The last time Tennessee had a big man of the same skillset was Harris in 2010, that’s 15 years ago, in an increasingly talented pool of college basketball talent over that period.
Journey to Greatness
While expectations will be high on Rocky Top, the Vols will face a tough SEC schedule, along with an even tougher non-conference slate, preparing for their March run. The Vols faced off with a reloaded Duke in an exhibition game on Sunday in which the Vols struggled against John Scheyer’s Blue Devils, led by Cameron Boozer. Despite some struggles, the Vols saw promising glimpses from Ament, who received high praise from Scheyer, who heavily recruited Ament, but eventually lost the battle to Barnes for Ament’s services. After Duke’s win in Knoxville, Scheyer told reporters:
“He’s super talented. Now that we’re not going to play them, at least for a while, we’ll be rooting for Nate. Great kid and great family. Just his versatility, like his ability to impact the game all different ways — he had a double-double and he didn’t even make a lot of shots tonight. “I thought our team did a good job of making him try to score over the top. I think that’s important because obviously he’s got great size. But Nate is gonna be a big-time player, and there’s no doubt about it.”
Despite some shooting struggles, Ament did go on to finish the game against powerhouse Duke with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, but it was an inefficient night, going 0-for-5 from the three-point line and 5-of-19 from the floor in the seven-point loss while logging 32 minutes in his first real test of the year.
The Schedule
The buck doesn’t stop with Duke, as Tennessee will also rematch with the No. 2 Houston Cougars in Las Vegas next month during the week of Thanksgiving. After Houston, the Vols will go head-to-head with Illinois and Syracuse on the road in back-to-back weeks in December. The team will then begin its conference play against Arkansas in January after its unexpected postseason play under John Calipari last season.
Ament is the focal point for the Vols all season, and these early matchups with championship contenders, along with a deep pool of SEC talent, bode well for Barnes having Ament primed and ready for the bright lights in March. The only caveat is that the Vols are hoping to see glimpses of greatness sooner rather than later to position Ament as a superstar not only in the SEC but all of College Basketball. Enjoy the ride, because Ament is indeed a big-time player.
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