University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Welcome All-ACC Selection Dai Dai Ames
April 15, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee head men's basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Wednesday the signing of Dai Dai Ames.
A 2025-26 Third Team All-ACC performer at Cal, Ames comes to Rocky Top as a senior guard with one year of eligibility left.
"We are excited to welcome Dai Dai and his family to the Tennessee basketball program. He is an extremely competitive and coachable individual who really gels with our culture," Barnes said. "Dai Dai can make shots in late-clock situations, which is a skill we were looking for in the portal. He is a crafty lefty with a strong frame who can finish at the rim through contact, as well as a superb movement shooter and an elite midrange scorer. All of that makes him a great fit for our system. Dai Dai really wants to be part of a winning team and contend for championships."
Ames was one of the premier guards in the country as a junior last season, putting up 16.9 points, 2.2 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 31.8 minutes per game. He shot 46.4 percent from the field, 37.6 percent beyond the arc and 85.0 percent (102-of-120) at the free-throw line, while starting all 34 games and helping Cal to its most wins (22) since 2015-16.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder finished sixth in the ACC (top-70 nationally) in made field goals (209), seventh in free-throw percentage, ninth in scoring average, No. 12 in field-goal percentage and No. 13 in minutes average. He shot 92.4 percent (61-of-66) from the stripe in ACC play, the second-best mark in the league.
Ames scored 20-plus points 12 times, co-ninth in the ACC, last year and reached 25-plus in six of them to rank co-sixth in the league. He had two games with double-digit made free throws and no misses, tied for the second-most in all of Division I, including a March 7 game at Wake Forest in which he scored a career-best 31 points.
Last season, Ames was one of just 15 Power Five players (min. 15 GP) to shoot at least 46.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent inside the arc, 36.0 percent on 3-pointers and 85.0 percent at the line.
As a sophomore in 2024-25, Ames made 26 starts at Virginia. He produced 8.7 points, 1.9 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game.
Ames shot 46.0 percent from the field, 39.7 percent from 3-point range and 82.9 percent at the stripe for the Cavaliers. He scored in double figures 14 times, with a season-high 27 points in a Feb. 3 road win at Pittsburgh in which he went 11-of-16 from the floor.
That year, he was among 15 Power Five competitors (min. 15 GP/20 3PA/20 FTA) to post a 46/39/82 shooting line. The only other underclassmen (freshmen/sophomores) in that group were Duke's Kon Knueppel and Michigan State's Jase Richardson.
During his freshman campaign in 2023-24, Ames started 16 contests for Kansas State. He averaged 5.2 points, 2.0 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game, while notching eight double-digit scoring performances.
Across his three-year career, Ames has scored 10-plus points in 51 of 96 outings, with 15-plus in 27 and 20-plus in 13.
He possesses 19 four-assist showings, including seven with five-plus and two with seven, as well as 14 multiple-steal affairs.
Additionally, Ames has connected on multiple 3-pointers in 30 appearances, with at least three 15 times and five-plus twice. He owns career averages of 10.5 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game.
Ames was a consensus four-star, top-70 recruit coming out of Kenwood Academy in the class of 2023, placing as high as No. 58 in ESPN's rankings. He finished No. 64 in the 247Sports Composite and No. 67 in the Rivals Industry Ranking, with both slotting him second in the state of Illinois and top-15 among point guards.
A 2023 Jordan Brand Classic All-American, Ames tallied 21.4 points, 4.3 assists, 3.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a senior, while shooting 51.3 percent from the field. He amassed over 1,500 points in his prep career, including a school record 65 against Southland College Prep during his senior year.
Ames, who scored 15-plus points 20 times as a senior, was a two-time IBCA Class 4A First Team All-State choice. A two-time Chicago Sun-Times First Team All-City and All-Area designee, as well, he competed for the Mac Irvin Fire on the AAU circuit.
Seven previous Tennessee letter winners hail from Illinois, including 1961-62 team captain John Martin and two-time All-SEC honoree Admiral Schofield, who scored 1,570 points under Barnes' tutelage from 2015-19.
According to 247Sports, Ames is the No. 52 prospect in the transfer portal, including the No. 13 point guard.
Ames is the third transfer to commit to Tennessee this offseason, following MVC Player of the Year Tyler Lundblade and two-time All-A-10 Defensive Team honoree Miles Rubin. The Volunteers will also welcome a trio of high school recruits in Marquis Clark, Manny Green and Ralph Scott.
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.
A 2025-26 Third Team All-ACC performer at Cal, Ames comes to Rocky Top as a senior guard with one year of eligibility left.
"We are excited to welcome Dai Dai and his family to the Tennessee basketball program. He is an extremely competitive and coachable individual who really gels with our culture," Barnes said. "Dai Dai can make shots in late-clock situations, which is a skill we were looking for in the portal. He is a crafty lefty with a strong frame who can finish at the rim through contact, as well as a superb movement shooter and an elite midrange scorer. All of that makes him a great fit for our system. Dai Dai really wants to be part of a winning team and contend for championships."
Ames was one of the premier guards in the country as a junior last season, putting up 16.9 points, 2.2 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 31.8 minutes per game. He shot 46.4 percent from the field, 37.6 percent beyond the arc and 85.0 percent (102-of-120) at the free-throw line, while starting all 34 games and helping Cal to its most wins (22) since 2015-16.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder finished sixth in the ACC (top-70 nationally) in made field goals (209), seventh in free-throw percentage, ninth in scoring average, No. 12 in field-goal percentage and No. 13 in minutes average. He shot 92.4 percent (61-of-66) from the stripe in ACC play, the second-best mark in the league.
Ames scored 20-plus points 12 times, co-ninth in the ACC, last year and reached 25-plus in six of them to rank co-sixth in the league. He had two games with double-digit made free throws and no misses, tied for the second-most in all of Division I, including a March 7 game at Wake Forest in which he scored a career-best 31 points.
Last season, Ames was one of just 15 Power Five players (min. 15 GP) to shoot at least 46.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent inside the arc, 36.0 percent on 3-pointers and 85.0 percent at the line.
As a sophomore in 2024-25, Ames made 26 starts at Virginia. He produced 8.7 points, 1.9 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game.
Ames shot 46.0 percent from the field, 39.7 percent from 3-point range and 82.9 percent at the stripe for the Cavaliers. He scored in double figures 14 times, with a season-high 27 points in a Feb. 3 road win at Pittsburgh in which he went 11-of-16 from the floor.
That year, he was among 15 Power Five competitors (min. 15 GP/20 3PA/20 FTA) to post a 46/39/82 shooting line. The only other underclassmen (freshmen/sophomores) in that group were Duke's Kon Knueppel and Michigan State's Jase Richardson.
During his freshman campaign in 2023-24, Ames started 16 contests for Kansas State. He averaged 5.2 points, 2.0 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game, while notching eight double-digit scoring performances.
Across his three-year career, Ames has scored 10-plus points in 51 of 96 outings, with 15-plus in 27 and 20-plus in 13.
He possesses 19 four-assist showings, including seven with five-plus and two with seven, as well as 14 multiple-steal affairs.
Additionally, Ames has connected on multiple 3-pointers in 30 appearances, with at least three 15 times and five-plus twice. He owns career averages of 10.5 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game.
Ames was a consensus four-star, top-70 recruit coming out of Kenwood Academy in the class of 2023, placing as high as No. 58 in ESPN's rankings. He finished No. 64 in the 247Sports Composite and No. 67 in the Rivals Industry Ranking, with both slotting him second in the state of Illinois and top-15 among point guards.
A 2023 Jordan Brand Classic All-American, Ames tallied 21.4 points, 4.3 assists, 3.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a senior, while shooting 51.3 percent from the field. He amassed over 1,500 points in his prep career, including a school record 65 against Southland College Prep during his senior year.
Ames, who scored 15-plus points 20 times as a senior, was a two-time IBCA Class 4A First Team All-State choice. A two-time Chicago Sun-Times First Team All-City and All-Area designee, as well, he competed for the Mac Irvin Fire on the AAU circuit.
Seven previous Tennessee letter winners hail from Illinois, including 1961-62 team captain John Martin and two-time All-SEC honoree Admiral Schofield, who scored 1,570 points under Barnes' tutelage from 2015-19.
According to 247Sports, Ames is the No. 52 prospect in the transfer portal, including the No. 13 point guard.
Ames is the third transfer to commit to Tennessee this offseason, following MVC Player of the Year Tyler Lundblade and two-time All-A-10 Defensive Team honoree Miles Rubin. The Volunteers will also welcome a trio of high school recruits in Marquis Clark, Manny Green and Ralph Scott.
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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