It was an intense battle on Tuesday night when Tennessee faced a sneaky Ole Miss team that, frankly, has gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to scheduling in the SEC. Nonetheless, Tennessee outscored Ole Miss 58-41 in the second half, and the biggest reason was freshman star Nate Ament, who took the game into his own hands.
Ament managed only two points at the halfway mark, then erupted in the second half to finish with a game-high 28 points on an efficient 9-for-15 shooting night.
Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard wasn't shy talking about Ament's positive trajectory since November. He said, "He’s (Ament) obviously a future NBA player. I think he’s gotten better from November to December, January to February. That’s not always easy to do when you’re playing with the physicality in this league and the competition. And now he’s fortunate in game plans as well. He’s definitely improving, which I think is a credit to their coaching staff and the guys that play with him. "
It didn’t stop there, though, as Beard followed it up with a quote that turned heads. Beard said, "He basically has an unblockable shot that Coach Barnes has taught many guys, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge. He’s taught a lot of guys that shot over the years, so that’s a problem. But I think the young guy plays with a lot of demeanor and poise. He’s an all-conference player in our league."
Getting comparisons to this generation's best scorer, Kevin Durant, is not something to be taken lightly.
Chris Beard says Nate Ament's shot is unblockable
Well, this wasn't on my bingo card for tonight, but what a quote from a great head coach in Beard. He's not wrong, though, as Ament's length and basketball acumen seem to always have him in a perfect position for every layup, floater, and pull-up jumper he takes.
Rick Barnes responded saying, "Well it took us a long time to get him to understand that if he gets it up over his head, that’s a weapon for us. And I told him that, I said, ‘man, this is a weapon, but you got to get to your spot."
Ament’s emergence has been an eye-opener for Tennessee fans and the coaching staff, and it’s changing expectations in Knoxville. The Vols will need him to have another signature game against Kentucky at Rupp on Saturday night.