Nate Ament picks another school over Louisville, Kentucky basketball. What to know

Louisville basketball came up short in the Nate Ament sweepstakes.

Ament, a five-star, McDonald's All-American forward, committed to Rick Barnes and Tennessee, not Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals, on Sunday. The 6-foot-9, 185-pound product of Highland School in Warrenton, Virginia, was also considering Arkansas, Kentucky and Duke.

"This was a very hard decision," Ament told ESPN. "It took me a little longer than most. I wanted to make sure it was the right fit. I could have gone to any of the five finalists. Or even to schools outside the finalists.“Ultimately, I felt like this was the best place for me and my family, and the coaching staff was the best fit for me. I was looking at the transfer portal and rosters for next season, asking myself how I would fit with teammates? How much can I trust the coaches I am talking to? What goals do they have, and do they align with mine?"

Ament, the No. 4 overall recruit in the 2025 cycle on the 247Sports Composite, took an official visit to U of L in October. Kelsey and assistant coach Thomas Carr checked in with him at least once in person during the 2024-25 season, a source close to the program told The Courier Journal.

Cards fans were also Ament's top donors on Fanstake.com, which allows supporters to pool funds together in hopes of landing and retaining marquee talent, with more than $86,000 raised at the time of his commitment. Don't worry; the money will be refunded to their accounts.

Ament was originally planning to commit April 1, the date of the McDonald's All-American Game, but decided to postpone the announcement; telling ESPN's Paul Biancardi, "I'm just not 100% yet; I want to take some extra time to be completely confident in my choice. I will connect with the people in my circle and will also be interested to see some transfer portal moves now that the tournament is coming to a close."

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball recruiting: Nate Ament picks SEC school