TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nate Ament drove into the chest of Alabama forward Taylor Bol Bowen earlier in the second half. Ament’s layup fell as the official blew his whistle. The quiet freshman chest bumped Jaylen Carey and screamed with an emotion we have not often seen this season.
“I just wanted to turn up with my guys,” Ament said. “Seeing the guys on the bench get up and get all rowdy. I thought I’d give some energy back to them.”
Ament has matched his low-key personality with a passive style of play at times this season. There was nothing passive about Ament’s 29-point performance in Tennessee’s 79-73 win over Alabama Saturday night.
The freshman has talked often this season about mixing aggression with letting the game come to him. Against Alabama, Ament attacked without forcing shots. Alabama’s drop coverage allowed him to get open shots in the midrange and he started fast, totaling six points in the first six minutes.
Ament found offensive success consistently throughout the game. Even when he’s played well this season, Ament’s scoring has often come in spurts with long stretches where he has not scored or sometimes even shot it. That was not the case against the Crimson Tide.
The 6-foot-10 wing’s longest stretch without scoring was the final seven minutes of the first half. He didn’t have another stretch over four and a half minutes.
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“I’m just adjusting to our game,” Ament said. “Getting shots in the flow of the offense. If you guys watched me earlier in the season, it could look like I’m pressing at some points, but I know Coach Barnes and my teammates are going to get me to my spots where I can shoot the ball. I just got to trust in them and I know I’ll get the shots I want.”
Ament paired his career-high scoring total with seven rebounds, three assists and only one turnover. He is one of six SEC freshmen in the last 20 seasons to reach 29 points, seven rebounds and three assists in one game.
The strong showing continued a recent trend for Ament. He’s averaging 21.5 points in his last four games and is starting to look like the star that Tennessee needs him to be.
“He’s going to keep getting better,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “It was just a matter of time to where you felt like he would get the flow, the confidence and the vision to see where and how he needed to attack. And he’s done that really — and I really think it started in the Florida game. He’s put, what, four games (together) where I think he really knows where he needs to go to work.”
Ament’s best performance of the season propelled Tennessee to its first road win of the season and its second best win. The Vols will see Alabama again next month and if Amari Allen is healthy, they’ll have better answers for Ament. That’s without factoring in the possibility that Alabama gets former SEC Defensive Player of the Year Herb Jones extra eligibility by then.
For now, Ament keeps improving and is giving Tennessee reason for optimism amidst a shaky January.
