Top-5 Class of ’25 recruit Ament dedicates to Vols

• Jonathan GivonyApr 20, 2025

  , 06:21 PM ET Close NBA draft analyst and author
  Joined ESPN.com in July 2017
  Founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and global groups

Nate Ament, a top-five recruit and the very best available high school kids’ basketball possibility in the 2025 class, dedicated to Tennessee, he informed ESPN on Sunday.

“Coach [Rick] Barnes sees me as a one-and-done type player,” Ament said. “He has actually done it before with Kevin Durant. He sees me as that type of guy for his program. I developed a fantastic relationship with the coaching staff. I trust them a lot, and they have big objectives for me. I think they’ll do a great task of establishing me as a player and a boy. I trust the coaches to help me get to the next level.”

Ament, a 6-foot-10 wing from Manassas, Virginia, selected Tennessee over Duke, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisville and others.

“This was an extremely hard decision,” Ament said. “It took me a little longer than the majority of. I wished to make sure it was the best fit. I might have gone to any of the five finalists. Or even to schools outside the finalists. Eventually, I seemed like this was the best location for me and my household, and the training personnel was the very best fit for me. I was looking at the transfer portal and rosters for next season, asking myself how I would fit with colleagues? Just how much can I trust the coaches I am speaking to? What objectives do they have, and do they align with mine?”

Ament, ESPN’s No. 4 prospect in the class of 2025, was chosen as a McDonald’s All American after helping Highland High School to a 42-8 record and a VISAA Department 1 Champion, winning Virginia young boys’ basketball Gatorade Player of the Year honors.A relative unidentified 18 months earlier, Ament has actually been on an outstanding trajectory, increasing in hiring rankings after outstanding showings on the high school and grassroots circuits in the spring and summer of 2024, consisting of debuting with USA Basketball and winning a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Champion.”Seventeen, 18 months earlier, if you informed me I ‘d be where I am now, I

would not have thought you,”Ament said.” Having the confidence to really think I’m one of the very best players in the country was the most important part. It wasn’t about height or strength, it had to do with putting the training I have actually been provided to use.”NBA scouts are enamored with the long-term advantage and overall skill Ament

possesses, with guard abilities and the capability to protect all over the court. Ament has actually added an inch in the previous year, and probably still has considerable space to grow in both stature and frame.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated With his high release point and varied shotmaking expertise coming off screens or bring up off the dribble

, Ament can get his jumper off whenever he pleases and is fluid getting to areas on the court and finding colleagues on the move. He has actually made a substantial jump in the past year with his ballhandling, passing, physicality and defensive strength, and most likely will continue to do so in the lead-up to the 2026 draft, where he’s projected to be a top-five choice.”My upbringing has actually been everything for me,” Ament said.”My moms and dads raised me to be kind, caring, humble, caring, and incredibly competitive

. Seeing all the devotion and effort my mom has put in, with all the suffering she’s dealt with, motivates me even more. She worked so tough to put food on the table, and I like her so much for it, giving me a great life as a kid. My 3 older siblings pressed me every day to wish to win in everything I do.” For Tennessee, Ament’s dedication puts the Volunteers right back in the mix for SEC championship contention with a much-needed injection of skill. Barnes currently added one of the best point player in the transfer portal in Maryland’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie, together with a proven skill in big male Jaylen Carey from Vanderbilt.The Vols also return numerous important players in beginning center Felix Okpara and backup huge men J.P. Estrella and Cade Phillips.”I seem like we’ll be a nationwide

championship team,”Ament said. “We’re going to go on that sort of run. The coaches told me they prepare to utilize me as an offensive weapon and after that establish my protective side. They do not assign me a position. They joke about it, however they see me as just a player. I can do everything on both ends of the floor.”Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft professional and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a personal searching and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and global teams.