Tennessee could be without freshman standout Nate Ament again as the Volunteers await further medical clarity heading into their matchup with South Carolina.
Associate head coach Justin Gainey said Ament will not practice on Monday as the team waits on more information following an MRI.
Gainey said they’re awaiting updates from the team’s athletic trainer, Chad Newman.
“I know he won’t practice today. And so, we’ll just kind of get updated from Chad here shortly and we’re going to see what the diagnosis will be,” Gainey said.
Gainey said swelling in both Ament’s knee and ankle made it difficult to initially determine the greater concern.
“I think Chad will be getting us that information today, tomorrow,” Gainey said. “The swelling that was in both areas made it really tough to kind of determine which was of greater concern, but I think we’ll get more clarity today.”
In Ament’s absence, Gainey expects a collective response.
“I think it’ll be all hands on deck,” he said. “Bishop (Boswell) will have to step up more. I think Amari (Evans), I think Ethan (Burg), I think Troy (Henderson) needs to be ready. I think (Amaree Abram) needs to be. All of those guys, everybody that we have, they need to be ready to step up and contribute in some way.”
Ament exited the Alabama game early after appearing to twist his knee or ankle in a loose-ball scramble. He briefly returned after halftime but did not play beyond the opening minutes of the second half.
The Vols maintained the lead despite Ament’s absence in the first half, but couldn’t maintain the same level of production in the second half.
Gainey pointed to missed defensive opportunities as the difference.
“Defensively, just not getting the timely stops that we needed,” he said. “They hurt us in transition. Whether it was a missed shot, but even more on made shots, their pace, their tempo, how aggressive they were early in the shot clock.”
Still, Gainey liked his team’s resolve.
“I thought they continued to fight, to play hard,” he said. “We don’t have that kind of group that quits. We got a group that next man up, they’re going to be ready to go.”
Tennessee remains hopeful for more definitive news soon, but for now, Ament’s status remains uncertain as the Volunteers prepare for a pivotal stretch run.
