Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Vols received some bad news, but it’s best that it happened now
RRick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers received some unfortunate news on Thursday evening, but it’s best for UT basketball that it happened now and not a month from now.
Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Vols received some unfortunate news on Thursday evening, but it’s best that it happened now.
Vols superstar forward Nate Ament announced Thursday that he’s entering the 2026 NBA Draft.
Ament has until late May to remove his name from the draft and retain his college eligibility, but his message while announcing his decision certainly doesn’t sound like he plans to change his mind.
“I want to dedicate this post to my Vol family,” wrote Ament in a post on Instagram. “Your guys’ love and support is a huge reason I have this opportunity. It’s because of you guys that I was able to grow. Y’all stuck with me through the bad games and the good. I promise to always represent the Vols with the utmost pride. This university means more to me than just basketball — to me it’s a place I call home. I might’ve only been here a year but I’ll remember this year for the rest of my life.”
Tennessee would obviously love to see Ament back in orange and white next season, but it’s more than understandable that he’s declaring for the draft. Playing in the NBA is a lifelong dream for most young basketball players — if you’re a likely first round pick, it’s tough to turn that down.
The good news for the Vols is that Ament making his decision now gives Barnes and his staff some clarity when it comes to the roster for next season. Tennessee is still pursuing some top portal options — such as Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris. Now that UT knows Ament isn’t coming back, they have a better idea of what kind of NIL package they can offer Harris. Barnes can also give Harris a better idea of exactly what his role could look like with the Vols.
Ament returning to Tennessee was always a bit unlikely. But while this news wasn’t what Tennessee fans wanted to hear, it’s better for it to happen now so the Vols can be more aggressive in their pursuit of Harris and other transfer players.