Nate Ament injury update from Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes

Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes believes star freshman Nate Ament will be fine after missing his first game of the season.

The 6-foot-10 forward sat out with a right leg injury as the No. 25 Vols (21-9, 11-6 SEC) thumped South Carolina (12-18, 3-14), 78-59 at Colonial Life Arena on March 3.

"He looked good today, but we obviously knew we weren't going to play him," Barnes said. "If it were up to Nate, he would've played today. He's one of the toughest kids I've ever been around. The fact he played in the Missouri game after that high ankle turn, and he wanted to play the other night (against Alabama). The doctors didn't think that was the wisest thing to do. The right decision was to was not to play him."

Tennessee initially classified Ament's injury as a right leg issue. He twisted his ankle on a rebound attempt against Missouri on Feb. 24, and hurt his knee while battling for a loose ball against Alabama on Feb. 28.

Barnes confirmed "it's more of a high ankle sprain," but did not provide a timetable for his retrurn.

He was confident, though, that Ament could have played if necessary.

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Barnes said on if Ament would return this season. "I'm telling you, he would've played today if they would've agreed to let him play. That's just who he is, he just wants to play."

Ament's presence or points weren't needed, though.

The Vols bullied the Gamecocks in the interior for 56 points in the paint. J.P. Estrella and Felix Okpara combined for 42 points, and Ja'Kobi Gillespie delivered a career-high 12 assists.

Ament is averaging 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

Tennessee finishes its regular season on March 7 when it hosts No. 22 Vanderbilt at Food City Center (2 p.m. ET, ESPN). Ament's availability is still in question, but Barnes is sure he'll appreciate the rest.

"He's had a long year," Barnes said. "I don't think anyone's gotten beat up more in college basketball than Nate Ament this year. I don't But he's never complained about it one time. I'm the one who complained about it because I think it's real. I like to think that it could be a blessing in disguise. Nate's a tough kid.

"I guarantee you if it was our last game of the year, Nate Ament would've played."

Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nate Ament injury update is positive from Tennessee coach Rick Barnes