Tennessee freshman Nate Ament is starting to look like the player Vols fans were hoping for-and the one Rick Barnes and his staff always believed was coming.
After a modest start to his college career, Ament has flipped the switch in SEC play. Through December and the first couple of conference games in January, he was averaging 11.1 points per game-solid, but not yet scratching the surface of his potential.
Fast forward to the last five games, and Ament’s been on a tear, averaging 21.0 points per contest. The numbers speak for themselves, but the way he’s getting those buckets is what really stands out.
It started with back-to-back 17-point outings against Florida and Kentucky. Then came 19 against Georgia, 23 at Texas A&M, and a career-high 29 points in a statement performance against Alabama. That’s not just a hot streak-that’s a young player finding his rhythm, learning how to impose his will on the game.
“It was just a matter of time,” Barnes said after the Alabama game. “You felt like he would get the flow, the confidence and the vision to see where and how he needed to attack.” According to Barnes, it all started clicking in that Florida game, and since then, Ament has strung together a stretch of performances that show he’s figuring out how to consistently impact the game as a scorer.
A big part of the leap? Shot volume-and mindset.
Ament has been far more assertive with the ball in his hands. In three of his last four games, he’s taken at least 16 shots.
The one exception was against Kentucky, where he still managed 17 points despite only attempting seven field goals.
“Nate needs more than seven shots,” Barnes said bluntly after that game. “And we’ll get that.
But Nate’s just getting so much better. He really is.
He had 17 today, made his free throws. But he needs more than seven shots.
And some of it, he’s going to have to go get it and make that happen.”
That message clearly landed. Ament responded by going for 29 on 10-of-20 shooting against Alabama and followed that up with 19 points on 7-of-18 from the field against Georgia.
It hasn’t been flawless-he’s still learning how to pick his spots-but what’s clear is that Ament is starting to see the floor differently. He’s reading defenses, hunting his looks, and trusting his ability to make plays.
For the season, Ament is now averaging 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He’s shooting 41.8% from the field, 30% from deep, and 75.9% at the line.
But his recent five-game stretch tells a more accurate story of where his game is trending: 45.8% from the field, 38% from three, and 80% on free throws. That’s a freshman learning how to be efficient while carrying a bigger load.
Nationally, people are starting to take notice. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf recently ranked Ament as the 45th-best player in college basketball. If he keeps playing at this level, that number could climb in a hurry.
Tennessee’s next test comes Saturday night against Auburn at the Food City Center. If Ament keeps this up, the Vols might have a rising star on their hands just in time for the heart of SEC play.