Nate Ament, a top-five recruit and the best available high school boys’ basketball prospect in the 2025 class, committed to Tennessee, he told ESPN on Sunday.
“Coach [Rick] Barnes sees me as a one-and-done type player,” Ament said. “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.”
Ament, a 6-foot-10 wing from Manassas, Virginia, picked Tennessee over Duke, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisville and others.
“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?”
Ament, ESPN’s No. 4 prospect in the class of 2025, was selected as a McDonald’s All American after helping Highland High School to a 42-8 record and a VISAA Division 1 Championship, winning Virginia boys’ basketball Gatorade Player of the Year honors.
A relative unknown 18 months ago, Ament has been on an impressive trajectory, skyrocketing in recruiting rankings after outstanding showings on the high school and grassroots circuits in the spring and summer of 2024, including debuting with USA Basketball and winning a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
“Seventeen, 18 months ago, if you told me I’d be where I am now, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Ament said. “Having the confidence to truly believe I’m one of the best players in the country was the most important part. It wasn’t about height or strength, it was about putting the training I’ve been given to use.”
NBA scouts are enamored with the long-term upside and overall talent Ament possesses, with guard skills and the ability to defend all over the court. Ament has added an inch in the past year, and probably still has significant room to grow in both stature and frame.
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With his high release point and diverse shotmaking prowess coming off screens or pulling up off the dribble, Ament can get his jumper off whenever he pleases and is fluid getting to spots on the court and finding teammates on the move. He has made a significant jump in the past year with his ballhandling, passing, physicality and defensive intensity, and probably will continue to do so in the lead-up to the 2026 draft, where he’s projected to be a top-five pick.
“My upbringing has been everything for me,” Ament said. “My parents raised me to be kind, loving, humble, caring, and super competitive. Seeing all the dedication and hard work my mom has put in, with all the suffering she’s faced, motivates me even more. She worked so hard to put food on the table, and I love her so much for it, giving me a great life as a kid. My three older brothers pushed me every day to want to win in everything I do.”
For Tennessee, Ament’s commitment puts the Volunteers right back in the mix for SEC championship contention with a much-needed injection of talent. Barnes already added one of the best point guards in the transfer portal in Maryland’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie, along with a proven talent in big man Jaylen Carey from Vanderbilt.
The Vols also return several important players in starting center Felix Okpara and backup big men J.P. Estrella and Cade Phillips.
“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.”
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.
