University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Duo Among 30 on Naismith Trophy Late Season Team
February 19, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Two members of the University of Tennessee men's basketball team are on the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Late Season Team, as revealed Thursday afternoon by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Freshman forward Nate Ament and senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie both made the prestigious list, which features the 30 best players in the country. The only other schools with multiple selections are Arizona, Connecticut, Kansas and Texas Tech.
The pair is joined by five other SEC competitors: Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr., Auburn's Keyshawn Hall, Florida's Thomas Haugh, Alabama's Labaron Philon Jr., and Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner.
Ament is one of 11 freshmen on the list, alongside the aforementioned Acuff, Duke's Cameron Boozer, Arizona's Brayden Burries, BYU's A.J. Dybantsa, Houston's Kingston Flemings, Stanford's Ebuka Okorie, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Illinois' Keaton Wagler and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson.
The Manassas, Va., native is averaging 18.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Over the last 11 contests, he is putting up 22.8 points per game, while shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 39.1 percent beyond the arc and 84.4 percent at the line.
Ament has scored 16-plus points in each of those 11 affairs, reaching that number 18 total times this season. He owns 10 outings with 20-plus points, including seven in the last 10 games. Ament has dropped 28-plus points in four of Tennessee's last eight affairs and is the fourth SEC freshman in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) with 28-plus four times in league play.
A member of the midseason watch list for the Wayman Tisdale Award and the Julius Erving Award, Ament has grabbed six-plus rebounds on 17 occasions and dished out four-plus assists in six appearances. The 6-foot-10, 207-pounder is a five-time SEC Freshman of the Week and also has one SEC Player of the Week honor.
Gillespie is among 11 seniors (or graduate students) who made the cut, joining the aforementioned Hall, Arizona's Jaden Bradley, St. John's' Zuby Ejiofor, Gonzaga's Graham Ike, Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson, Connecticut's Alex Karaban, Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg, Purdue's Braden Smith, Iowa's Bennett Stirtz and Ohio State's Bruce Thornton.
A native of nearby Greeneville, Tenn., Gillespie is averaging 18.1 points, 5.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in his first campaign as a Volunteer. He is shooting 35.4 percent from long range, with 75 makes on the year, and 80.8 percent at the line.
After notching eight points in the season opener, Gillespie has reached double figures in each of Tennessee's last 25 outings. He has reached 15-plus points in 19 games, with 20-plus in 11 of them.
Gillespie possesses the top two single-game scoring totals by a Volunteer this year, with his 34-point outburst Jan. 6 against Texas and his 32-poing display Nov. 24 versus Rutgers in Las Vegas. He also owns all eight outings with seven-plus steals by a Tennessee player this season, as well as both games with six-plus steals.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder, who has one SEC Player of the Week accolade to his name, set a program record with eight steals Feb. 18 against Oklahoma. That tied the fifth-highest total ever by an SEC player and matched the second-best number ever recorded in league play.
Ament, Gillespie and Tennessee (19-7, 9-4 SEC) are back on the floor Saturday at 2 p.m. ET at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn., against Vanderbilt, live on ESPN.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Freshman forward Nate Ament and senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie both made the prestigious list, which features the 30 best players in the country. The only other schools with multiple selections are Arizona, Connecticut, Kansas and Texas Tech.
The pair is joined by five other SEC competitors: Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr., Auburn's Keyshawn Hall, Florida's Thomas Haugh, Alabama's Labaron Philon Jr., and Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner.
Ament is one of 11 freshmen on the list, alongside the aforementioned Acuff, Duke's Cameron Boozer, Arizona's Brayden Burries, BYU's A.J. Dybantsa, Houston's Kingston Flemings, Stanford's Ebuka Okorie, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Illinois' Keaton Wagler and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson.
The Manassas, Va., native is averaging 18.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Over the last 11 contests, he is putting up 22.8 points per game, while shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 39.1 percent beyond the arc and 84.4 percent at the line.
Ament has scored 16-plus points in each of those 11 affairs, reaching that number 18 total times this season. He owns 10 outings with 20-plus points, including seven in the last 10 games. Ament has dropped 28-plus points in four of Tennessee's last eight affairs and is the fourth SEC freshman in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) with 28-plus four times in league play.
A member of the midseason watch list for the Wayman Tisdale Award and the Julius Erving Award, Ament has grabbed six-plus rebounds on 17 occasions and dished out four-plus assists in six appearances. The 6-foot-10, 207-pounder is a five-time SEC Freshman of the Week and also has one SEC Player of the Week honor.
Gillespie is among 11 seniors (or graduate students) who made the cut, joining the aforementioned Hall, Arizona's Jaden Bradley, St. John's' Zuby Ejiofor, Gonzaga's Graham Ike, Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson, Connecticut's Alex Karaban, Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg, Purdue's Braden Smith, Iowa's Bennett Stirtz and Ohio State's Bruce Thornton.
A native of nearby Greeneville, Tenn., Gillespie is averaging 18.1 points, 5.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in his first campaign as a Volunteer. He is shooting 35.4 percent from long range, with 75 makes on the year, and 80.8 percent at the line.
After notching eight points in the season opener, Gillespie has reached double figures in each of Tennessee's last 25 outings. He has reached 15-plus points in 19 games, with 20-plus in 11 of them.
Gillespie possesses the top two single-game scoring totals by a Volunteer this year, with his 34-point outburst Jan. 6 against Texas and his 32-poing display Nov. 24 versus Rutgers in Las Vegas. He also owns all eight outings with seven-plus steals by a Tennessee player this season, as well as both games with six-plus steals.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder, who has one SEC Player of the Week accolade to his name, set a program record with eight steals Feb. 18 against Oklahoma. That tied the fifth-highest total ever by an SEC player and matched the second-best number ever recorded in league play.
Ament, Gillespie and Tennessee (19-7, 9-4 SEC) are back on the floor Saturday at 2 p.m. ET at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn., against Vanderbilt, live on ESPN.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
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/ Men's BasketballMBB | Rick Barnes Postgame vs. Oklahoma (2.18.26)
Wednesday, February 18
MBB | Nate Ament & Ja'Kobi Gillespie Postgame vs. Oklahoma (2.18.26)
Wednesday, February 18
MBB | Oklahoma Postgame (2.18.26)
Wednesday, February 18
MBB | Highlights: Tennessee 89, Oklahoma 66
Wednesday, February 18
