Star Tennessee wing Nate Ament’s status remains uncertain for the Vols’ regular season-finale against Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, head coach Rick Barnes shared Friday.
“I don’t know that, if he’s going play,” Barnes said. “I know he’s doing everything he possibly can through rehab, working with Chad (Newman) and ‘G’ (Garrett Medenwald) and obviously through our doctors. And he’s a model patient, if that’s what you want to call him. But other than that, we don’t know. I’ve said it before, if it were up to him he’d play every game. But we’ve obviously got to make sure that we’re doing the right thing for Nate.”
Following Tennessee’s win at South Carolina, Barnes stated that Ament— who is dealing with a high ankle sprain— would have played had Tennessee’s doctors allowed him to. He did not have any firm timetable for a return but was adamant that Ament would return to the court later this season.
But until Ament does more in practice, the wing returning to the court in game is unlikely. Barnes said that Ament did not do any team five-on-five work during Thursday’s practice though he did some more activities off to the side.
“No (he hasn’t practiced),” Barnes said. “I don’t know. We’ll see today. I really don’t (know). “I think Chad had him do a little running yesterday, but he didn’t do anything with us (in practice). And again, I think it’s one of those deals where Chad might tell you he’s doing better than expected, but still that high-ankle sprain, it takes time.”
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Tennessee’s Friday practice is open to the media and Ament has not participated in any team portions of the Vols’ practice.
Ament rolled his ankle in the first half at Missouri and then worsened the injury in the first half of Tennessee’s loss against Alabama last Saturday. He was on the ground trying to corral a loose ball when an Alabama player fell on his right leg and it bent backwards. He briefly returned in the second half but played less than three minutes before exiting for the remainder of the game.
The star freshman is averaging 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season. He leads the Vols in rebounding, ranks second in points and ranks third in assists. Ament has been even more productive in SEC play, averaging 19 points and six rebounds per game. He’s one of Tennessee’s major sources of offense. Not having him is a major blow for the Vols.
Ironically, one of Ament’s worst performances in SEC play came at Vanderbilt when he totaled just 13 points on three-for-13 shooting from the field. However, Ament hit a crucial turnaround late that gave Tennessee a lead that it never relinquished.
Tipoff between the Vols and Commodores is at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon. Matt Schumacker and Richard Hendrix are on the call for ESPN.
