5-star SF Nate Ament talks Mark Pope, Kentucky: 'It's kinda hard not to like what he's showing me right now.'

Nate Ament is one of 13 class of 2025 prospects with a known offer from the Kentucky Wildcats. He’s been recruited by the likes of head coach Mark Pope and assistant coach Cody Fueger since the pair were together at BYU.

That relationship has since moved to Kentucky and Ament continues to like what he’s hearing from the new staff in Lexington. Ament is ranked No. 7 overall by the On3 Industry Ranking and is considered a five-star prospect.

“They’re great people,” Ament told KSR about the Kentucky coaches. “They FaceTime me often, they talk to me a lot. Great sense of humor, great guys, it’s great getting to know them honestly. Mark Pope, him at BYU they were a great team, they shot a lot of threes. That’s kind of attractive to me as a player. He’s a great offensive mind, great coaching mind. It’s kinda hard not to like what he’s showing me right now.“

Pope’s offensive playstyle is what stands out to Ament. It’s a system he believes suits his talents.

“I think that definitely fits my game,” he added. “I feel like I can play fast, be able to slow it down, be able to spread the ball, shoot the three, do whatever they need me to do.”

Ament is a stretchy 6-foot-9 forward with high-level shot-making chops. He’s been especially impressive during this week’s adidas 3SSB Palmetto Road Championship for Team Loaded VA, regularly scoring in double-digits while hauling in 10-plus rebounds on high efficiency alongside his four-star teammate Kaden Magwood, who hails from Louisville.

“I’m very versatile,” Ament said of his playstyle. “I can play a lot of positions, I’m really not boxed into a certain position. I can stretch the floor, I’m a great shooter, I can shoot from deep. I can put the ball on the deck and my mid-range game is one of the best in high school right now.”

With a desirable set of skills, Ament is hearing from all of the top schools. He listed Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, UConn, Tennessee, LSU, Indiana, Arkansas, and Oregon as schools in contact with him, but added there are others.

As of right now, Ament says he does not have any official visits scheduled, although plenty are in the works. He wants to visit as many as possible, particularly the ones he listed above. The plan is to start taking those once August hits.

“I want to give everyone a chance because I feel like I want to go where I’m wanted and not somewhere it’s a huge name,” he said. “Somewhere they have a great developmental program and I can get better.”

There is currently no timeline for a commitment decision. But Kentucky is firmly in the mix and will have an opportunity to make its best pitch over the coming months.