The most anticipated freshman in Tennessee basketball history gathered his feet in the corner.
The Vols already held a sturdy 58-35 lead over Mercer in their season opener, but Nate Ament had some personal milestones to check off. The 6-foot-10 forward took advantage of an open look, banging home his first-career three to the delight of the Food City Center crowd. The moment may have been insignificant on the scoreboard, but to Ament, he needed to see one go through.
The Manassas, Virginia, native posted a double-double in an exhibition loss to Duke, but it felt empty due to some poor shooting. He expected much more from himself. He needed to earn this one.
“I think I learned the most in film,” Ament said. “Just having our coaching staff being able to kind of get on me. I saw the way I was playing, I didn’t like it. I thought I could just do a better job of running the floor, finding my teammates early. I think the more that I help, the more that I look for more teammates, the better. The more open I’m going to be when I get the ball.”
This iteration of his performance against the Bears appeared in a drastically more positive light. A team-leading 18 points accompanied nine rebounds in 29 minutes of action. His six makes in 11 attempts acted as the biggest story. It took Ament 20 attempts against the Blue Devils to get nearly the same number of shots to fall.
Where he looked uncomfortable against Duke, Ament took more charge this time around. Drives to the basket characterized a 12-point second half that showcased his abilities to possess the superstar potential that NBA scouts are on the lookout for. The flashes appeared.
“I thought he stayed with it,” head coach Rick Barnes said. “It’s all new to him. He’s going to adjust to playing against scrappy guards because he’s never had to do that. He’s really trying hard defensively. Nate’s smart, hard-working. Believe me, after the last game with Duke, he showed maturity because he came out, he took it hard.”
This season will continue to be one of growth for the 18-year-old. Avoiding selfishness at the college level is one of the adjustments Ament will prioritize making as the non-conference schedule plays out over the next two months. Chances to mesh with veteran teammates while working with Barnes and his staff during practice are the only ways to work through these growing pains.
Through just 80 minutes of basketball, Ament is already starting to make adjustments.
“Even during the Duke game, I feel like the shots I took are the shots I work on,” Ament said. “Tonight, I think a lot of my mindset was just playing the team game, trying to play with my teammates. I feel like it’s better for a coach to tell you to be more aggressive than for him to tell you to lay off a little bit. I’m just gonna try to make the best plays possible and continue to work on my game, but also stick to the team side of all of it.”
