Tennessee's loss of Nate Ament to NBA Draft forces Rick Barnes to go all-in on $3M top target originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball are having a tremendous transfer portal season, nearly rebuilding their roster from scratch. Head coach Rick Barnes is targeting some of the biggest names in the portal, including Juke Harris. However, it was widely understood that Tennessee likely couldn’t land both Harris and Nate Ament.
“So I think you’re looking at only [getting] one (of Harris or Ament). If you can get one of those guys, Tennessee’s ceiling is what every team wants its ceiling to be — which is to go all the way. I think Tennessee’s added a ton of talent. I feel like they put themselves in position to be back there battling for another Elite Eight or a potential Final Four appearance with the roster they’ve constructed. But if you can add one of those two, then it definitely, to me, takes it over the top,” VolQuest’s Austin Price said.
While it would have been difficult to choose between the two, Ament ultimately made the decision easier for Barnes and his staff.
“Tennessee forward Nate Ament declared Thursday that he's heading to the NBA draft after one season in college. Ament, the No. 8 prospect in ESPN's NBA draft rankings,” ESPN wrote.
With Ament heading to the league, Harris now becomes the clear priority for Barnes and his staff.
“Now that we know Ament is officially gone, Rick Barnes has an obvious move to make, and it’s to put the full-court press on Juke Harris. The former Wake Forest wing would fill in perfectly for ament. He averaged over 20 points per game last year in the ACC, making him one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball, all while playing in a difficult conference. Tennessee is right in the mix for him, but he will probably test the NBA waters before coming back to college. If Rick Barnes can pull this off, it would be a more than adequate replacement for Ament,” All For Tennessee’s Conner Linsner wrote.
Harris would be the final piece to an already loaded roster. This has been one of Barnes’ best transfer portal cycles, as he has added multiple proven scorers rather than relying on just one.
Harris would bring another edge to a lineup that already has plenty of firepower. Tennessee is believed to be the current favorite, but the process could drag out as Harris tests the NBA Draft waters.