Nate Ament got the ball on the final pass on a fast break.
The Tennessee basketball commitment took off with a defender — 2026 five-star guard Caleb Holt — rising to contest the dunk, to no avail.
“That was the craziest thing I have ever seen,” Tennessee signee Troy Henderson said. “He one-hand, cocked back and dunked. The gym went crazy. Everybody was at our court and the gym went nuts.”
Henderson watched Ament do that and more when they played AAU together in summer 2024 with Team Loaded 17U. Ament, a 2025 five-star forward, committed to Tennessee and Vols coach Rick Barnes on April 20.
He is the No. 4 prospect in the class, according to 247Sports Composite, and the highest-ranked recruit in UT history. It’s a ranking Henderson can attest to.
“He’s a pro,” said Henderson, who signed with Tennessee on April 16. “You can see it. The way he moves. He is very versatile . . . He can do everything on the floor — shoot, pass and drive. He can come off ball screens and set ball screens. He basically is an all-around player.”
Henderson, a 6-foot point guard from John Marshall High School in Richmond, Virginia, listed a litany of skills Ament has.
He can play point guard offensively. At 6-9, he is tall enough to shoot over defenders. He has a balanced offensive approach, knowing when to get to his spots and shoot and when to make a wise pass.
“You can’t double-team him because he will make the right play every time,” Henderson said. “In a one-on-one matchup, he is going to win it nine times out of 10 times. That is the best ability he has got.”
Ament can guard an opponent’s best player because he is both tall and athletic. Ament, who played at Highland School in Warrenton, Virginia, can defend the other team’s tallest player. He can go and get a rebound when he is asked to.
Henderson asserted that Ament fits well with Barnes because he “will do whatever it takes to win” on the court. He also witnessed how Ament approaches the game.
During AAU summer ball around Ament, Henderson felt the way he held everyone accountable. He said if a player showed up without a “pro mindset,” Ament was quick to get after the player to “pick it up and get going.”
Ament’s leadership is one of the many reasons Henderson is geeked to have him as a teammate again.
The only thing Henderson couldn’t share about Ament was a weakness.
“I haven’t seen one or heard one,” Henderson said. “I am going to get with that — no weakness.”
