How Tennessee star Nate Ament explained his 1-for-13 shooting in loss to Vanderbilt
NASHVILLLE – An exasperated Ethan Burg put his hands on his head after picking up his fourth foul on March 13.
The Tennessee basketball guard could only take a handful of steps before Nate Ament told him to keep his head up.
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Ament tried hard to keep the team’s hopes alive, but frustration crept into his brain after every missed shot. The No. 5 seed Vols (22-12) fell 75-68 to No. 4 Vanderbilt (25-7) in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals at Bridgestone Arena.
A day after his unbelievable performance in his first game back from injury against Auburn, Ament couldn’t find the bottom of the net.
He finished with 12 points, including 10 free throws, but the expected NBA lottery pick had his shooting splits memorized.
“I was 0-of-5 from 3, 1-of-13 from the field,” Ament said. “I was just trying to be aggressive and get to my spots. I think a lot of them were good looks, but I know I’ve got to make those shots if we’re going to win.”
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The 6-foot-10 freshman was just barely 24 hours removed from a two-game absence with an ankle sprain. He played 32 minutes and scored 27 points in his first game back against Auburn, then logged another 30 against the Commodores.
Ament didn’t blame fatigue for the errant shooting, but Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes is willing to consider it.
“He’s not 100%,” Barnes said. “We know it. But in (Ament’s) mind it doesn’t matter, he wants to play. Maybe the loss gives Ja’Kobi Gillespie a chance to get more rest. It will give Nate a chance to recover. It would have been difficult if he didn’t play at all in the tournament. …
“Even though he does everything he possibly can, there’s nothing like playing, especially in this time of year.”
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Barnes suggested the outcome could’ve been a “blessing in disguise.” If the Vols won, they would have an even tougher matchup against No. 1 Florida on March 14 in the semifinals. Another win would have placed them in the SEC Tournament championship on Selection Sunday. Instead, Tennessee gets almost a week off in preparation for March Madness.
Barnes hopes two consecutive games will been enough to get Ament some game action before the NCAA Tournament.
The star freshman, though, knows he can’t repeat this performance if Tennessee wants to make a run.
“I kind of learned you want to expect the best from yourself,” he said. “That’s how you get to a level like Tennessee. But you can’t put too much pressure on yourself, that’s unreal expectations. But I definitely have a lot of pressure on myself to succeed and play well for this team to win.”
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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, Tennessee star reacts to 1-for-13 shooting vs Vanderbilt