Four-star in-state F Ament loves what he's heard from the Hoos

One of four-star class of 2025 forward Nate Ament's first college visits was to the University of Virginia and just recently the Wahoos officially offered the in-state standout.

Tony Bennett and his staff watched Ament multiple times this summer in between his play with Highland School in June and Team Loaded North Carolina during different grassroots stops.

“My summer went well,” Ament told CavsCorner this week. “The spring time was really eye opening and that was a time where it really showed me that my work has paid off but also that I have a lot of work to go.

“After the spring, I went back to the drawing board,” he added, “and put a lot of work in the gym to try and get stronger because that is more of a weak point of my game right now and I think I have really done a good job of trying to expand my game.”

After finishing up the grassroots season last month, Ament continued to talk to Jason Williford and Virginia a lot leading up to when Bennett offered.

“I probably have the most contact with Virginia,” Ament explained. “They have really been on me from the beginning as it was one of my first unofficial visits and I talk with one of their associate head coaches Jason Williford all the time and I have been getting on the phone with Tony Bennett and he is really a great guy. They are really good people at Virginia and I am looking forward to going back there soon for a visit. Landing that offer was really big.”

No. 38 overall in his class, Ament has heard plenty from UVa including how he might be able to expand his game.

“They have been telling me they really want me to keep shooting the ball and keep getting better as an overall player,” he said. “They want me to keep working in the weight room and getting stronger. A lot of schools want to continue to see me get stronger.”

If Ament ultimately decides on picking UVa, he knows playing defense is a must and he thinks he would do that well.

“Well I think I have gotten better as an on-ball defender and that is a must if anyone goes to Virginia,” he said. “I think I have shown that I am willing to guard each team's best player and that has been my focus going into a lot of my games recently. Knowing that Virginia is a big defensive team, you can’t miss any of your assignments and I believe I have improved on that a lot too.”

As he’s about to start his junior year soon, his recruitment remains completely open for the time being.

“I really don’t know when I would like to make a decision,” Ament said. “I am really going into this decision open minded and I don’t think any one school really stands out. I am going to just play it by ear and see who really wants me the most and ultimately is showing the most interest and whoever really wants me to be one of their primary players.”

Though he doesn’t have a clear timeframe in mind, what is clear is that he’s got a good sense for what will go into his decision.

“It is going to come down to how much I can fit into the offense and how much a school can develop me in the weight room and obviously skill development is super important as well,” he said. “I also want to go to a place where I am really close with the coaching staff and how much of a family type atmosphere it is, I want all the coaches and players to be extremely close with each other.”