The Nate Ament Year is officially underway. The five-star freshman began his first year at Tennessee with a solid performance on Monday night against Mercer, putting up a game-high 18 points and nearly securing a double-double with nine rebounds. If Monday’s season-opening outing was the opening bar for where he can go this season with the Vols, all signs are pointing up.
It wasn’t a perfect debut by any stretch, and combined with last weekend’s exhibition contest against Duke, there are plenty of traits to work on and areas for growth. Still, though, Ament has one of the highest ceilings among the freshman class in the sport. There’s a reason why he’s widely projected as a Top 10 pick in next year’s NBA Draft.
“I think Nate is just — this is all new to him,” head coach Rick Barnes said after Monday night’s 76-61 win over Mercer. “I mean, you know, two games in a row, he’s been a perimeter player the whole time, and he’s going to adjust to playing against scrappy guards because he’s never had to do that. But you look at his line, other than the fact that he turned it over three times, I mean, that’s a pretty good night. And he’s really trying hard defensively. He really is. You can tell he’s trying to really become a good perimeter defensive player. He never has. Nate’s smart, hard working.”
More From RTI: What Tennessee’s Nate Ament Said Following College Debut
Over the last 20 seasons, Tennessee Basketball has only had five freshman players score at least 18 points in the season-opener. Ament, obviously, is on that list.
The other four players include Kennedy Chandler (2021), Jordan Bone (2016), Tobias Harris (2010), and Cameron Tatum (2008).
Chandler wowed with 20 points on 70% shooting during his season-opener against UT Martin during the 2021-2022 season. He was eventually taken in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft after his one season on Rocky Top. Bone, meanwhile, put up an impressive 21 points in his first game against UT Chattanooga back in 2016. Bone was drafted to the NBA in 2019 as a second-round pick.
Harris kicked off his lone season at Tennessee with an 18-point showing against UTC back in 2010. After redshirting during his first season on Rocky Top due to a knee injury back in 2007, Cam Tatum returned to the court with style as a redshirt freshman back in 2008. Tatum went for 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting with three three-pointers against UTC to kick off the 08-09 season.
If things go according to plan, Ament will follow in Harris and Chandler’s footsteps as a one-and-done player in Knoxville. The difference is that Ament could wind up being the highest-drafted player among the three.
“I think he will come along,” VFL Ron Slay said about Ament on Sunday’s episode of The RTI Low-Down. “He’s not falling out of the Top 10 of the draft, regardless of how this year goes. It does not matter. People’s jobs rely on them drafting him. So, he’s not going to fall. We can sit there and watch Keon Johnson, Julian Phillips, all these guys that had a solid SEC season, and they still go high in the draft? You best believe Nate Ament will still be right there.”
Nate Ament and No. 18 Tennessee will return to the court this Saturday for game two of the regular season against Northern Kentucky. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more coverage on the team.
Tennessee freshmen to score at least 18 points in the season opener over the last 20 seasons:
Nate Ament
Kennedy Chandler
Jordan Bone
Tobias Harris
Cameron Tatum pic.twitter.com/9YSljweefN— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) November 4, 2025
