Cal Guard Dai Dai Ames Commits to Tennessee

Image: Claire Kauffman

By Aidan Sidoti

KNOXVILLE – One of the top scorers in college basketball last season is headed to Rocky Top.

Cal transfer point guard Dai Dai Ames has committed to Tennessee, choosing the Vols over Xavier, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Ames, one of the ACC’s top scorers last season, finished eighth in the league at 16.9 points per game while adding 2.2 assists. He earned All‑ACC Third-Team honors in 2025‑26 and arrives in Knoxville as an incoming senior with high‑level experience across multiple Power Six programs.

The Chicago native will be joining his fourth school in four years. Ames began his career at Kansas State, averaging 5.2 points on 35% shooting as a freshman, before transferring to Virginia, where he appeared in 31 games and posted 8.7 points and 1.9 assists. He spent last season at Cal, emerging as one of the league’s top scoring guards.

Listed at 6‑foot‑2 and 190 pounds, Ames shot 46.4% from the field while adding 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 31.8 minutes per game. Originally a member of the class of 2023, he was ranked No. 64 nationally and the No. 2 player in Illinois in the 247Sports Composite.