What Nate Ament brings to Tennessee basketball as five-star commit: 'He's a pro'

Nate Ament got the ball on the final pass on a fast break.The Tennessee basketball commitment took off with a defender 2026 five-star guard Caleb Holt rising to contest the dunk to no avail.That was the craziest thing I have ever seen, Tennessee signee Troy Henderson said.

He one-hand, cocked back and dunked.

The gym went crazy.

Everybody was at our court and the gym went nuts.Henderson watched Ament do that and more as they played AAU together in summer 2024 with Team Loaded 17U.

Ament, a 2025 five-star forward, committed to Tennessee and Vols coach Rick Barnes on Sunday.

He is the highest-ranked recruit in UT history as the No.

4 prospect in the 247Sports Composite.

Its a ranking Henderson can attest to.Hes a pro, said Henderson, who signed with Tennessee on Wednesday.

You can see it.

The way he moves.

He is very versatile.

...

He can do everything on the floor shoot, pass and drive.

He can come off ball screens and set ball screens.

He basically is an all-around player.Henderson, a 6-foot point guard from John Marshall High School in Richmond, Virginia, listed a litany of things Ament can do.

He can play point guard offensively.

At 6-9, he is tall enough to shoot over defenders.

He has a balanced offensive approach, knowing when to get to his spots and shoot and when to make a wise pass.

You cant double team him because he will make the right play every time, Henderson said.

In a one-on-one matchup, he is going to win it nine times out of 10 times.

That is the best ability he has got.Ament can guard an opponents best player because he is both tall and athletic.

Ament, who played at Highland School in Warrenton, Virginia, can defend the other teams tallest player.

He can go and get a rebound when he is asked to.TRACKER: Tennessee basketball transfer portal tracker: Who's in, who's out for Rick Barnes' rosterHenderson assessed that Ament fits well with Barnes because he will do whatever it takes to win on the court.

He also witnessed how Ament approaches the game.During the AAU summer around Ament, Henderson felt the way Ament held everyone accountable.

He said if a player showed up without a pro mindset that Ament was quick to get after the player to pick it up and get going.Aments leadership is one of the many reasons Henderson is geeked to have Ament as his teammate again.The only thing Henderson couldnt share about Ament was a weakness.I havent seen one or heard one, Henderson said.

I am going to get with that no weakness.Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics.

Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social.

If you enjoy Mikes coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nate Ament: How Tennessee basketball commit fits with Vols.

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