Five-star forward Nate Ament, one of the top players in the Class of 2026, committed to Tennessee on Sunday.
Ament is rated the No. 4 overall player in his class by the 247Sports composite rankings. The native of Virginia chose the Volunteers over Duke, Kentucky, Louisville and Arkansas.
Ament made his announcement in a video posted to social media and told ESPN that Volunteers coach Rick Barnes was a major factor in his decision.
Barnes “sees me as a one-and-done type player,” Ament said. “He has done it before with Kevin Durant (at Texas). 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.”
The 6-foot-10 Ament is a McDonald’s All-American and Virginia’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
“Having the confidence to truly believe I’m one of the best players in the country was the most important part,” Ament told ESPN. “It wasn’t about height or strength, it was about putting the training I’ve been given to use.”
Tennessee finished the season 30-8 as it earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight, where it fell to top-seeded Houston.
–Field Level Media
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