Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope addressed the media following the Wildcats’ 78-65 defeat against Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament on March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Five-star basketball recruit Nate Ament will be announcing his college commitment soon.
However, the exact timing of his decision remains uncertain.
Ament — a 6-foot-9 power forward ranked as a five-star prospect and the No. 4 player in the 2025 class — initially planned to reveal his choice during this week’s McDonald’s All-American Game in New York City. This year’s event is scheduled for Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
But Ament — who has a top-five list consisting of Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, and Tennessee — stated during a Monday interview session at the McDonald’s All-American Game that he will not be committing Tuesday.
“I’m going to delay it. I’m not making my commitment tomorrow, on Tuesday,” Ament said.
Whenever Ament makes his decision, a significant name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal is expected to be a crucial aspect of his choice.
None of Ament’s finalists have emerged as a clear frontrunner, though Duke was previously viewed as the favorite.
Ament has taken official visits to all his final options and is currently the highest-ranked uncommitted prospect in the 2025 class.
“I want to play for a coach who has faith in me, pushes me to improve beyond my current level,” Ament said Monday. “But also someone who allows me to showcase my skills while teaching me how to play the right way. A strong recruiting class matters too. I want to play alongside players I connect with, and who want to play with me. Those factors are huge, along with the school’s culture and team atmosphere. Do they feel like a family? Do they have strong chemistry on and off the court? Those aspects will be the biggest influences on my choice.”
Ament is one of 24 players selected to participate in Tuesday’s McDonald’s All-American Game. This elite group includes Malachi Moreno, the 2025 Kentucky Mr. Basketball recipient, who led Great Crossing High School to a Sweet 16 state championship over the weekend.
Moreno — one of three future Kentucky players signed for next season — was paired with Ament during Monday’s media session.
“My pitch to him has been simple: look at what Kentucky offers,” Moreno said when asked about persuading Ament to choose UK. “This place has legends, an incredible fan base, an amazing coach and staff, and top-tier facilities. It’s a basketball-driven environment where you can develop and chase your dreams.”
Kentucky coach Mark Pope’s 2025 recruiting class features Moreno along with left-handed guards Jasper Johnson and Acaden Lewis.
Ament, a Virginia native, played alongside Johnson last summer when the U.S. team won gold at the FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup in Argentina.
With Moreno, Johnson, and Lewis signed, Kentucky currently holds the sixth-best 2025 high school recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Duke leads the rankings, followed by Houston, UConn, Arkansas, Notre Dame, and then Kentucky.
Ament’s commitment would push Kentucky ahead of Notre Dame and Arkansas into fourth place.
Zach Welch, a Pro Insight Basketball analyst, told the Herald-Leader in February that Ament is regarded as one of the most versatile players in the 2025 class.
“Ament is a player I’m confident will make an immediate impact in college, but his development will largely depend on where he commits,” Welch said. “With his skill set, he’s like a piece of clay that will be shaped by his role and growth at his next stop.”
In a February episode of The Youngins Sports Podcast by Swish Cultures, Ament spoke about Kentucky and Pope, highlighting UK’s offensive system and emphasis on three-point shooting as positives in his consideration of the Wildcats.
During the 2024-25 season, Kentucky set a new program record for most three-pointers made in a single season, though their campaign ended with a Sweet 16 loss to Tennessee.
Pope, who had recruited Ament while coaching at BYU, officially extended a Kentucky scholarship offer to him in June. UK’s pursuit of Ament has been ongoing since then, intensifying after the Wildcats lost a recruiting battle to North Carolina for five-star forward Caleb Wilson in January.
Ament got a firsthand look at Kentucky twice this past season. He was visiting Tennessee on Jan. 28 when an injury-riddled Kentucky squad pulled off a road win in Knoxville. Then, he took an official visit to Kentucky in February and witnessed another undermanned UK victory over Tennessee. Days after that game, Pope traveled to Virginia to watch Ament play on his senior night.
Ament also attended the ACC Tournament championship game on March 15, where he saw Duke defeat Louisville.
Among Ament’s final five schools, only Duke remains in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 after defeating Alabama in the East Regional final.
Tennessee was eliminated in the Elite Eight after beating Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Arkansas and UK both fell in the Sweet 16, while Louisville was knocked out in the first round.
“I learned a lot from the tournament,” Ament said. “Watching these high-pressure games and seeing how coaches handle adversity and trust their players was important. It helped me understand their strategies and how they approach deep tournament runs.”
Mark Pope, UK Basketball Aim to Reshape Roster for 2025-26
While a complete roster overhaul isn’t anticipated, Pope has work to do this offseason to restructure Kentucky’s lineup for the 2025-26 campaign.
Six players from the 2024-25 UK squad have exhausted their NCAA eligibility. Those players are Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Jaxson Robinson, and Amari Williams.
Guard Kerr Kriisa may qualify for a sixth year due to injury issues, but on Monday, Kriisa entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Several players from the 2024-25 team could return next season, including freshman guards Collin Chandler and Travis Perry, freshman forward Trent Noah, sophomore center Brandon Garrison, and junior guard Otega Oweh.
UK already has four new additions for next season, including Tulane transfer Kam Williams, a freshman wing, and the three incoming high school recruits.
This maintains the original structure, paragraph count, and word count while rewording it entirely. Let me know if you need any tweaks!