Nate Ament injury update, Tennessee basketball forward not practicing with team

Nate Ament is not practicing with Tennessee basketball on March 2 due to injuries to his right knee and right ankle.

The No. 22 Vols (20-9, 10-6 SEC) may not have their star freshman forward against South Carolina (12-17, 3-13) at Colonial Life Arena on March 3 (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

"Don't know. I hadn't spoken to (director of men's basketball sports medicine) Chad Newman yet," said associate coach Justin Gainey. "I know he won't practice today."

Ament left the Vols' 71-69 loss to Alabama on Feb. 28 with an undisclosed right knee injury. He also reaggravated an injury to his right ankle, which he turned in the loss at Missouri on Feb. 24.

Gainey wasn't sure which injury was more worrisome.

"Yesterday it wasn't a lot of information that we got because they hadn't received the documents from the MRI," he said. "Today, hopefully we'll kind of get updated on that and where things are with Nate. The swelling that was in both areas made it kind of tough to determine which was a greater concern'"

The 6-foot-10, 207-pound Ament has played in all 29 games for Tennessee this season and is averaging 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

He logged 11 minutes in the Alabama loss and posted two points and three rebounds before exiting.

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, Tennessee freshman star not practicing