Still riding high from Sunday's awesome news? You're not the only one, as the Tennessee Vols were able to do the unthinkable. Just a month ago, it seemed like 5-star power forward Nate Ament was going to end up committing to either Duke or Louisville.
However, Rick Barnes and Tennessee basketball never stopped going after him and clearly made the elite prospect a priority. That led to Ament announcing for the Vols, becoming the highest-rated commit in program history. Barnes strikes again? You better believe it. While speaking with ESPN's Jonathan Givony, Ament said he sees himself as a Kevin Durant-type player for the Vols.
"Coach [Rick] Barnes sees me as a one-and-done type player," Ament told Givony in a wide-ranging conversation. "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."
Nate Ament committing to Tennessee was an unreal recruiting win for Rick Barnes
With the way the transfer portal works these days, players go to a school for a year and then they bolt. Barnes has been honest with Ament throughout his recruiting process and made it clear he's going to prep him for the NBA and make sure he's ready as soon as possible.
Barnes sold him on what he was able to get done with Kevin Durant previously when the two were in Austin together with Texas. Durant has gone on to have an incredible career in the NBA, which could be on the way for Ament too.
Ament trusts Barnes and the rest of the coaching staff and he's surely locked in as a sure-fire starter in 2025-26. Losing Zakai Zeigler, Chaz Lanier, Jahmai Mashack and others will sting, but Barnes has been on fire this offseason in adding big names.
Ja'Kobi Gillespie surely gets an assist for Tennessee getting Ament, as he was recruiting him from the moment he signed with UT. Next up Rodney Rice? That'd make things event better for Tennessee, which is already looking like a contender for next season. Adding a couple more pieces is only going to help this team potentially get to the Final Four for the first time next April.