‘Feel Like We’ll Be A National Championship Team’ … Vols Land Star
Image: Nate Ament
By Cody McClure
Well, in case you missed it over the weekend, Tennessee Basketball simply landed its highest-ranked commitment in the history of the program.
Turns out Rick Barnes isn’t retiring, huh.
Nate Ament announced his intentions to join the Vol Hoops program on Sunday. He picked UT over Duke, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Louisville.
“Coach 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."
It was believed by college basketball “experts” that Ament would likely go to Duke, but the tone changed among some in the national media late last week as it appeared more evident Ament was feeling all-Vol.
Ament is a five-star recruit and the No. 4 player in the country. He’s also a projected top-five pick in the NBA Draft.
“…Ultimately, I felt like this was the best place for me and my family, and the coaching staff was the best fit for me,” Ament added. “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?"
Sounds like a smart kid. We got a good one. A damn good one.
"I feel like we'll be a national championship team … 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."