Tennessee
Nate Ament NBA mock draft projections with Tennessee basketball in March Madness
PHILADELPHIA – The 2026 NBA Draft will likely be loaded with standout freshmen, and Tennessee basketball is happy to claim one in Nate Ament.
The 6-foot-10 forward has arguably been the best player for the No. 6 seed Vols (22-11) heading into March Madness.
They’ll need him at his best to make a deep run in the men’s NCAA Tournament, which begins at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia against No. 11 Miami of Ohio (32-1) on March 20 (4:25 ET, TBS).
Ament has not declared for the NBA Draft, but the All-SEC forward is a projected lottery (top 14) pick. He could be Tennessee’s first lottery pick since Marcus Haislip went to the Milwaukee Bucks with the No. 13 pick in 2002.
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Where is Nate Ament from?
Ament is from Manassas, Virginia, 35 miles west of Washington, D.C. He went to Highland High School and was a five-star prospect. He committed to Tennessee on April 20, 2025, choosing the Vols over offers from Texas, Louisville, Kentucky, Arkansas and Duke, among others.
How tall is Nate Ament?
Ament is 6-foot-10, 207 pounds. He’s added 20 pounds since arriving at Tennessee.
How old is Nate Ament?
Ament is 19 years old. He was born on Dec. 10, 2006.
Nate Ament stats for Tennessee basketball
Ament averaged 17.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals throughout 31 games. He shot 40.5% from the field and 33.1% from 3.
Nate Ament 2026 NBA Draft projection
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Ament’s NBA Draft projection has settled around the back half of the lottery. Draft analysts were initially concerned with Ament’s slow start, but his emergence throughout SEC play points to a higher professional ceiling.
USA TODAY’s Bryan Kalbrosky has the lowest current projection on Ament, slotting him at No. 11.
The Athletic, ESPN and CBS have the freshman going off the board at No. 9.
How did Nate Ament play this season?
Ament’s season, much like the Vols as a whole, has been marked with inconsistency. He started Tennessee’s non-conference schedule strong with six straight games scoring 15 or more points.
He hit an early wall against tougher competition, beginning with Houston where he shot 1-of-9 in a 76-73 win. In a nine-game stretch from the Houston win into early conference play, Ament averaged 11.9 points on 36% shooting, and shot 22% from 3.
Ament’s 17-point performance in the Vols’ 91-67 loss at Florida on Jan. 10 ignited a 13-game stretch where he was one of the top players in the country. He jumped up to 21.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Ament shot 43% from the field and 39% from 3-point range.
Ament’s progression slowed after Feb. 24 when he sprained his ankle in a loss to Missouri. He played briefly in the next game against Alabama before missing the final two games of the regular season. Ament returned in the SEC Tournament, where he lifted the Vols to victory over Auburn with 27 points, then had a 1-of-13 outing the next day in a loss to Vanderbilt.
What was Nate Ament’s injury?
In the first half of Tennessee’s game at Missouri on Feb. 24, Ament jumped up for a rebound and came down awkwardly on his right ankle. He left for a few minutes but finished the game.
The freshman started against Alabama on Feb. 28, but only played 11 minutes before injuring his knee and re-aggravating the ankle sprain in a loose ball scrum. Ament missed Tennessee’s final two regular season games at South Carolina and against Vanderbilt with a right high ankle sprain.
He returned against Auburn in the SEC Tournament on March 12. Ament led the Vols to a 20-0 run to beat the Tigers in the second round, 72-62. In the quarterfinals on March 13, though, Ament didn’t have the same success. His 12 points included 10 free throws in a 75-68 loss to Vanderbilt.
Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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Tennessee
Where Tennessee Baseball Players, Commits Land In Final MLB Mock Drafts, Rankings | Rocky Top Insider
The 2026 MLB Draft gets underway on Saturday afternoon to jump start MLB All-Star game festivities in Philadelphia. The two-day, 20-round draft is a highly important once for Tennessee baseball. While there are fewer current Vols projected to be selected, there will be no shortage of Tennessee prep signees and transfer commits who are draft risks.
We’ve compiled a number of both mock drafts and overall draft prospect rankings from a multitude of outlets that give us a look at where Tennessee players, transfers and commits could go. There’s a handful of Tennessee transfer commits who are not listed but are also draft risks including Wright State outfielder Andrew Duncan, Baylor shortstop Travis Sanders, FIU infielder Mario Trivella and Clemson right-handed pitcher Hayden Simmerson.
Taking a look at the mock drafts and draft rankings here.
More From RTI: Clemson Transfer Pitcher Commits To Tennessee Baseball
Current Tennessee player. Tennessee transfer commit. Tennessee high school signee
Mock Drafts
ESPN Two-Round Mock Draft
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 11 to Kansas City
- OF Trevor Condon — No. 14 to Miami
- RHP Tegan Kuhns — No. 34 to Pittsburgh
- RHP Kaiden McCarthy — No. 51 to Pittsburgh
The Athletic One-Round Mock Draft
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 11 to Baltimore
- RHP Tegan Kuhns — No. 24 to Seattle
CBS One-Round Mock Draft
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 18 to Cincinnati
Prospect Rankings
MLB Pipeline Top 250
- OF Trevor Condon — No. 13
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 16
- RHP Tegan Kuhns — No. 25
- RHP Kaiden McCarthy — No. 61
- RHP/SS Cole Koeninger — No. 99
- SS Jack Dugan — No. 106
- C Sean Dunlap — No. 124
- RHP Shawn Sullivan — No. 132
- RHP Tyler Putnam — No. 139
- RHP Gary Morse — No. 141
- 3B/OF Henry Ford — No. 148
- LHP Jake McCoy — No. 152
- C/OF Garrett Wright — No. 190
- RHP Cannon Grant — No. 212
- RHP Bo Rhudy — No. 219
- LHP Ricky Ojeda — No. 243
ESPN Top 250
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 11
- OF Trevor Condon — No. 16
- RHP Tegan Kuhns — No. 32
- C Sean Dunlap — No. 49
- RHP Kaiden McCarthy — No. 52
- RHP Gary Morse — No. 98
- RHP/SS Cole Koeninger — No. 107
- SS Jack Dugan — No. 109
- RHP Tyler Putnam — No. 112
- RHP Cannon Grant — No. 125
- 1B Cody Boshell — No. 142
- LHP Jake McCoy — No. 156
- C/OF Garrett Wright — No. 162
- 3B/OF Henry Ford — No. 183
- RHP Bo Rhudy — No. 201
Perfect Game Top 400
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 16
- OF Trevor Condon — No. 29
- RHP Tegan Kuhns — No. 50
- RHP Kaiden McCarthy — No. 51
- RHP/SS Cole Koeninger — No. 62
- C Sean Dunlap — No. 68
- 3B/OF Henry Ford — No. 134
- 1B/OF AJ Curry — No. 153
- RHP Cannon Grant — No. 176
- RHP Tyler Putnam — No. 190
- SS Jack Dugan — No. 201
- LHP Jake McCoy — No. 227
- RHP Shawn Sullivan — No. 231
- RHP Gary Morse — No. 241
- LHP Ricky Ojeda — No. 251
- RHP Bo Rhudy 255
- SS Jaxson Wood — No. 262
- C/OF Garrett Wright — No. 269
- LHP Brandon Arvidson — No. 274
- SS Manny Marin — No. 375
- OF Reese Chapman — No. 386
- LHP Drew Christine — No. 387
Sissy arrived at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee in 2000, where caretakers began monitoring and managing her osteoarthritis. Sanctuary leaders said a recent progression of the disease caused what they described as “clear signs” of pain and swelling in her right wrist.
JACKSON, Tenn. (WBBJ) – The Tennessee Highway Patrol held an open house Thursday at the THP Jackson District Office in West Madison County for those interested in becoming a state trooper.
Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the various operations of the THP and the roles the department offers.
Trooper Tiffanie Williams said the career comes with competitive benefits and a sense of community responsibility.
“What makes us a good career choice is, one, base your retirement plan is pretty good, your benefits are pretty good. Also, just giving back to the community — we kind of hold ourselves to a higher standard,” Williams said.
For more information about the Tennessee Highway Patrol and how to get involved, click here.
Copyright 2026 WBBJ. All rights reserved.
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