Nate Ament is set to make his official commitment on Tuesday, March 1. Ament is a unanimous 5-star recruit out of Manassas, Va., where he played his high school basketball for Highlands High School.
The 6-foot-9, 185-pound forward is a member of the class of 2025 and is the No. 4 prospect and No. 2 shooting guard. In his junior year, Ament averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, and 3.7 assists per game. The Cardinals received massive news last month as they made Ament's top five for his decision. On3's Joe Tipton predicts that they will land Nate Ament.
"I know Louisville is towards the top of his list. I even recently wrote on ON3.com that if I had to pick a school Nate Ament picks, I would probably lean towards Louisville." Tipton stated.
However, it has been an absolute battle to land this McDonald's All-American, as Ament's top five include Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Duke, Pat Kelsey, and the Louisville Cardinals.
3 Biggest threats for Louisville to land elite 5-star prospect Nate Ament
Louisville basketball is given a 13 percent chance to land Ament, which is the second best percentage per On3. Louisville is ranked No. 44 in the nation and No. 9 in the ACC for their one 5-star commit. The Cardinals received high praise from Ament when he picked his top five schools.
"They have also been very consistent, and I love Coach Kelsey's enthusiasm, and Coach Carr. They have great relationship with not just me but my whole family, and obviously going back to Fanstake, their fans are in with them as well. Seeing a program trying to revive the program and trying to do it with me and Mikel is great to see." Ament stated.
Louisville basketball fans have been passionate about landing Ament, and while they are predicted to be one of the favorites, it is a close battle between these ACC and SEC giants. So, with the commitment date getting closer, we are taking a deep dive into what Ament has said in the past and who we think are the three biggest threats to land this elite 5-star recruit over Louisville.
3. Arkansas
Arkansas is a significant threat to Louisville, as their numbers have skyrocketed recently. Coach Cal is trying to work a miracle here lately, as the Razorbacks weren't in the competition until February. Coach Cal and his team officially offered this 5-star forward in March of 2025 when Ament visited the Razorbacks for the first time.
The big grab for Arkansas is Coach Cal. Ament, in his announcement, clearly loves the idea of developing under Coach Cal, who has produced some of the best players in the NBA and is known to develop elite one-and-done players.
"Coach Cal and pretty much the whole coaching staff, they started a little bit later than some of the other schools, but they've been putting me through the fire coming to a lot my practices and a lot of my games." Ament stated. "Even some of their recruits have been texting me. Obviously, Coach Cal has produced a lot of NBA talent, and beginning as a basketball player and seeing him at Kentucky is kind of a dream for a lot of players to see all these NBA players playing on one team."
Ament biggest draw to Arkansas is the ability to develop as an NBA player under Coach Cal. There wasn't much more to it, as he didn't dive into the fans, or the program, or recruits. It was strictly Coach Cal and his ability to develop as a NBA player.
The Razorbacks have an 11 percent chance of landing Ament as their class of 2025 is ranked No. 4 in the nation, and No. 1 in the SEC. They received two 5-star commits and one 4-star commit. Arkansas has a big chance to land Ament, but it also would be a bit of a shock if Ament ends up picking the Razorbacks.