CHICAGO − Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes held an emotional Nate Ament in a short embrace towards the end of the Vols’ unceremonious 95-62 Elite Eight loss to Michigan in the Men’s NCAA Tournament.
The acclaimed 6-foot-10 freshman will likely be Tennessee’s first NBA lottery draft pick since Marcus Haislip was selected 13th overall in 2002, but Ament didn’t want to consider his future after the loss on March 29.
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“No, I really don’t want to look ahead,” he said. “Just want to be here with my team right now.”
Shortly after, Ament amended his initial stance.
“Talking to my coaches and my circle and see what the next step’s going to be,” he said.
Ament finished his freshman season, and maybe his college career, with a 2-of-12 shooting performance for just seven points and fouled out as the No. 6 Vols (25-12) fell to No. 1 Michigan (35-3) at the United Center.
An ankle sprain sustained in late February marred Ament’s production to close the season. He teetered between rough shooting performances and an unstoppable offensive machine in postseason action after missing the final two games of regular SEC play.
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Ament fought through the pain in what he described was “one of the greatest years of my life.”
“The guys and the locker room,” he said on what made the season special. “How I’ve grown and the people I’ve met.”
Barnes spent extra time in the locker room with his postgame speech before confirming his return for next season. Ament summarized the message.
“He told us he appreciated us for how hard we worked,” he said, “and how we stuck with it.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nate Ament answers question about NBA draft decision after Tennessee’s Elite 8 loss