Tennessee star freshman Nate Ament visited Kayonza District in Eastern Province, Rwanda, for a community engagement trip on Monday, Aug. 11, as he gears up for his first season with the Volunteers basketball team this fall.
While visiting his “second home,” according to IGIHE, the Rwandan-American basketball prospect engaged in several activities with the locals there, including some time on the basketball court.
“It was an opportunity for Ament to engage directly with young people through basketball sessions in Nyamirama, where local players, school children, and community members gathered for a day of sport, celebration, and learning,” IGIHE writes. “The visit was hosted on courts developed by Shooting Touch, a nonprofit that has worked in Rwanda for over a decade to combine basketball with community health and youth empowerment.”
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Ament took his talents to the court, but the trip also gave him time to connect to his roots. Ament’s mother, Godelive Mukankuranga, and his father, Albert Ament, met in Rwanda in 1998 “while working in health and humanitarian development.”
Shooting Touch also provided free health screenings during Ament’s highly attended visit, which is something that is of great importance to the organization.
“Our goal is to ensure athletes aren’t just healthy enough to play, but equipped to thrive long after their time with us. Having Nate Ament — arguably the most influential figure in Rwandan basketball to date — here with us, embracing our ‘bigger than basketball’ mission, means the world to our team and our community,” Shooting Touch Director of International Strategy and Programming Chloe Rothman said in a statement.
While on his trip, Ament also had the opportunity to hike Volcanoes Park and see Rwanda’s mountain gorillas up close.
A memorable encounter with Rwanda’s mountain gorillas 🦍
Basketball talent @NateAment15 trekked to see the gentle giants up close in @VolcanoesPark during his visit.#VisitRwanda pic.twitter.com/jVuzVXZcEU
— Visit Rwanda (@visitrwanda_now) August 12, 2025
Nate Ament, the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle, is Tennessee’s all-time highest-rated prospect in the recruiting rankings era. He’s poised to provide Rick Barnes’ team with a massive spark this season as the Vols look to replace production from star players such as Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack, Chaz Lanier, and Jordan Gainey.
Standing at 6-foot-9, the versatile wing has a deep bag on the offensive end of the court. In that handful of times that the media has been able to see the star freshman during summer workouts, Ament has looked every bit the part of the highly-touted prospect that he is. He’s got a number of moves to drive to the basket and has a clean jumpshot from the perimeter with NBA range.
Speaking of the NBA, scouts are already heavily invested in the future Tennessee product. He’s been widely looked at as a potential Top 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and was recently named as one of the contenders to be the No. 1 overall pick by ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf.
Ament joins a reloaded Tennessee roster that also includes Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Louisiana Tech transfer Amaree Abram, and Vanderbilt transfer Jaylen Carey. It’s a lot to replace for Tennessee, but the pieces – led by Ament – could have the Vols poised to make another deep run in the postseason.
While not traveling overseas or putting in work on his jumpshot, Ament also looks to be picking up the sport of golf. In early July, he received a one-on-one training lesson from two-time U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau while at the Reebok Golf Event in Dallas, TX.
Things I did not expect to see today, Bryson DeChambeau helping Nate Ament with his golf swing.
Also, fantastic golf shirt from Nate. pic.twitter.com/LnqnaPtOhv
— Ryan Schumpert (@rschump00) July 4, 2025
For more on Nate Ament’s trip to Rwanda with Shooting Touch, check out the full, in-depth article from IGIHE here.
