Catching up with high school phenom Nate Ament

Nate Ament, currently ranked No. 7 nationally in the class of 2025, showcased his elite skills last week at Under Armour’s Elite 24 camp. Standing at 6-foot-9, Ament demonstrated his versatility, excelling in passing, dribbling, and shooting while making an impact on both ends of the court. In the main game, he led his team with 16 points, grabbed three rebounds, and hit three of seven shots from beyond the arc.

Basketball runs in Ament’s family. His father, Albert Ament, was a four-year standout at Wayne State, where he earned a spot in the school’s athletic hall of fame. Nate has attracted interest from top programs, receiving offers from schools such as UConn, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, and more.

After the scrimmage at UA’s Elite 24, Ament spoke with HoopsHype about his college recruitment, playing style, influences, and what the future might hold for him.

What's going to factor into your decision ultimately?

NA: Obviously, how the offense moves, how the defense moves, the record of previous players they’ve had, if I fit the players they’ve had before. Just seeing how they do this year , that’ll be a big factor as well.

What do you feel like are your strengths, and what are the things that you're working on?

NA: I feel like I can do everything, honestly. But being honest on the scouting report, I bet a lot of the scouting reports say that he’s not tough enough, he’s not physical enough. Be physical, move him around. Personally, I don’t think that’s accurate, but I bet a lot of scouting reports say that. And that’s definitely something I need to work on for sure. But I mean, I take it workout by workout, try to attack it every day.

What do you want to accomplish as a basketball player by the time you hang up your shoes one day?

NA: I mean, the goal is all of it, honestly. NBA champion, college champion, win everything I can. Realistically, some of that might not happen, but just pushing for that every day makes me better. So I mean, striving for that and striving for those goals that I’m not sure will happen, it makes me better a lot.

How much of it all do you pay attention to those rankings?

NA: I would say I really don’t, to be honest. The work’s always gonna be the work. So back when I was unranked, back when I was in the lower 50s, it was the same. I was showing up to work every day. Now, there’s always a ceiling for me to achieve. Sometimes players never reach that ceiling. For me, striving for that ceiling is the furthest thing.

What makes you stand out compared to all the other top-rated players?

NA: I feel like just my size and my skill combined. I mean, I feel like not many guys my size are skilled like I am. I feel like I’m just a competitor, I like to compete. And I feel like I’m a great teammate.