As Tennessee basketball looks to reload for the 2025-26 season, it was tasked with replacing multiple key pieces from last year's team.

One of the incoming transfers being asked to fill these big shoes is guard Amaree Abram.

He enters as a senior, playing for his fourth team in four years.

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Despite bouncing from Ole Miss to Georgia Tech to Louisiana Tech, Abram is still hunting an appearance in his first NCAA Tournament. Having the chance to win at a high level this year is part of what drew him to Knoxville.

"On my visit, just made me feel like home," Abram said. "I also wanted to win and I know this program holds a high standard. That was my main goal that I wanted to focus on. What other way than to play for Coach (Rick) Barnes."

During his recruitment, he got the feeling that he'd fit in. He's a defensive-minded shooting guard who isn't afraid to be physical on both ends of the floor.

Knowing that Barnes only goes after tough guys made the fit appealing.

"It's an honor, first off," Abram said on his recruitment. "Just being tough. He only recruits tough guys. Pretty sure if you weren't able to handle it, you wouldn't be able to come here. Just having a strong mindset, being coachable, also being in shape with the amount of running we do. That's one of the key points he hit on when he recruited me."

This wasn't necessarily the first time he got a look at Tennessee's program in person, though.

While starting his career at Ole Miss, he played the Vols inside of the SEC schedule. That year, Tennessee boasted Josiah-Jordan James, Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler, Olivier Nkamhoua, Uros Plavsic, Jahmai Mashack, Julian Phillips and others on a squad that made it to the Sweet 16.

UT first met the Rebels in Oxford, claiming a narrow 63-59 win. Abram played 17 minutes and scored 10 points.

The teams also met in the SEC Tournament in Nashville. Tennessee won that bout, as well, 70-55. Abram played 24 minutes and logged seven points in that matchup.

"Just how hard they played," Abram said about what he remembers from those games. "They just played super hard. Super detailed. I knew it was going to be tough coming in."

Now, he's inside the system that can be as tough as any. He knows what he signed up for, though, and is hoping it pays off in a senior year that reaches his high expectations.

"It's been great, it's been tough," Abram said. "It's a tough program to play for. I came here because it's a great coach, he coaches me hard. That's what I came here to be."

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