Nate Ament has been getting high praise from his Tennessee basketball teammates and coaches.
The 6-foot-10 freshman guard was a five-star recruit and has been playing to his billing.
“He handles everything well,” said freshman guard Troy Henderson about how Ament has been adjusting to college basketball. “We recently took three loses, and we only had 10 days to prepare for Louisville. Those 10 days were amazing for Nate. He had a smile on his face, he picked up his talking, and he’s been our leader.”
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His passing ability has been noticed. Considering his height and stature, Ament is making it look easy.
“He’s an amazing passer,” Henderson said. “I mean, he’s 6-foot-10, he can see over anybody to make the passes he wants.”
The No. 23 Vols (8-3) play Gardner-Webb (2-12) at Food City Center on Dec. 21 (3 p.m., SEC Network+).
Ament is the second leading scorer for Tennessee, averaging 16 points a game, with 7.1 rebounds. But his coaches know his value is beyond the points he scores.
MORE: How Tennessee’s Amari Evans scored 7 points in 7 minutes, fouled out vs Louisville
“The average fan will evaluate Nate off of one thing: points,” said assistant coach Steve McClain. “They don’t see the passes, the plays off the ball, or the fact that other guys get opportunities because defenses are so locked in on him. But with his growth, he’s starting to see where shots are coming, and he’s shooting them with confidence.
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“And that type of thing doesn’t always happen over night. We’re talking about an 18-year old young man, that everybody built up, and is the attention of every team. That’s not an easy thing to be. Nate’s had to grow under pressure. What I love most about him is his expressions never change whether he’s doing good or bad. He’s always locked in and only cares about one thing: winning.”
Kamryn Jackson covers high school and college sports for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Greenville News and Anderson Independent Mail, and the USA TODAY Network. Please email her at KEJackson@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @KamxJack.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What is making Nate Ament special for Tennessee basketball after 11 games
