Nate Ament, Amari Evans Practice Wednesday as Vols Prepare for SEC Tournament

Image: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

By Aidan Sidoti

NASHVILLE — Tennessee received encouraging news on Wednesday as freshmen Nate Ament, Amari Evans, and Troy Henderson all practiced ahead of Thursday’s second round of the SEC Tournament in Nashville, per RockyTopInsider’s Ryan Schumpert.

Ament, the standout freshman from Manassas, Virginia, has missed the last two games after injuring his right leg in the first half of Tennessee’s loss to Alabama. The projected top‑10 NBA draft pick has been dealing with issues in both his knee and ankle, though head coach Rick Barnes recently noted the ankle remains the bigger concern. Despite the setback, Ament’s freshman campaign has been one of the best in the SEC. The six‑time SEC Freshman of the Week was named to the All‑SEC Second Team this week, averaging 17.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

In Ament’s absence, freshman guard Amari Evans delivered the best performance of his young career. The 6‑foot‑5 Pittsburgh native set career highs in points with 24 and made field goals with 9 in the regular season finale against No. 24 Vanderbilt. while adding six rebounds. Evans injured his ankle in the second half and re-aggravated it late, forcing him to exit and not return. His participation in Wednesday’s practice is a positive sign for Tennessee’s backcourt entering tournament play.

The Vols will face the winner of Mississippi State vs. Auburn on Thursday at approximately 3 p.m. ET on SEC Network, with the SEC Availability report dropping later tonight.