NASHVILLE — Rick Barnes didn't want to ask.
The veteran coach assumed Nate Ament was on a minutes restriction in the star freshman's return from a right leg injury Thursday at the SEC Tournament. Barnes even thought Tennessee basketball's training staff would tell him how much Ament could play against Auburn. He was never informed, though. So he didn't ask.
"I knew that Coach Barnes was going to let me go," Nate Ament said after No. 5-seed Tennessee beat No. 12 Auburn, 72-62, in the second round of the SEC Tournament. "I knew with being injured, he was going to ask if I was OK to keep playing, and it's really up to me if I want to keep playing or not.
"I'm grateful to have a head coach like that, putting a lot of trust in me to keep playing through what I'm going through."
Ament suffered his right leg injury Feb. 28 in Tennessee's loss to Alabama when his leg bent back awkwardly while he dove on the floor for a loose ball. The forward avoided a significant injury, but it was serious enough that he had to miss the final two games of the regular season.
It led many to wonder whether Ament should even play in the SEC Tournament. Most didn't view it worthwhile for the projected NBA lottery pick to risk further injury. It's more imperative for Tennessee that he plays in the NCAA Tournament anyways.
Ament wanted to play all along. He was frustrated that he couldn't return to the game when he suffered the injury against Alabama. He was equally frustrated with sitting out against South Carolina and Vanderbilt last week.
"I want to play for Tennessee," Ament told GoVols247. "This whole fan base has given so much (to) me and made me feel like it's a second home here. So I want to play for these fans, I want to play for this university, I want to play for my teammates, and I want to win something again for this university."