During the 2025-26 season, Tennessee basketball fans were treated with watching one of the best young players in the country on a weekly basis. Five-star freshman Nate Ament came into his own as the year went on and emerged as a star player before going in the lottery of the NBA draft.
Now that Ament turns the page to beginning his pro career with the Milwaukee Bucks, Tennessee Athletics put together a 14-minute feature video on Ament’s season with UT. This included exclusive interviews with Ament, head coach Rick Barnes and a number of assistant coaches.
Here is the full video:
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Ament showed his upside during the course of his freshman season, though he did have to battle through injury heading into the postseason. The 6-foot-10 wing finished with 16.7 points per game on 39.9% shooting from the field and 33.3% from range. He also contributed 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest.
Despite battling injury, Ament played through pain late in the season to help Tennessee make another NCAA Tournament run. He was a critical piece in a third-straight trip to the Elite Eight, featuring upset wins over Virginia and Iowa State.
“It’s been everything,” Ament told RTI about his time at UT after the season-ending loss to Michigan. “From the fans to my teammates to the coaching staff, I couldn’t ask for a better program or better fanbase. They have given me all they’ve had, and I appreciate them so much. I just want them to know that I appreciate them.”
Ultimately, Ament was selected 13th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Bucks. This was on the back end of the majority of his projections, but it secured him a pick inside the lottery. He was Milwaukee’s second pick of the draft, after it took Brayden Burries from Arizona 10th overall.
