4-star C Tommy Ahneman down to 5 schools
Tommy Ahneman, a four-star center in the 2025 class, has narrowed his list of schools down to five, he told On3. Moving forward, the 6-foot-10 rising senior out of Cretin Derham Hall (MN) will consider Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin.
Ahneman went in-depth on each of his five finalists in an exclusive interview with On3 here (On3+).
In addition to his finalists, he also received offers from Northwestern, DePaul, Penn State, and others.
According to On3’s Top-150 Player Rankings, Ahneman is the No. 45 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle. He’s also the No. 7 center prospect and the No. 1 player in North Dakota. The On3 Industry Ranking is a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
This past high school season, Ahneman won North Dakota Gatorade State Player of the Year while playing with his now former high school, West Fargo. This AAU season playing with Howard Pulley on the EYCL Circuit (the Nike EYBL secondary league), he averaged 20.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
On3’s Jamie Shaw talks Ahneman’s game
On3 National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw did a deep dive on Tommy Ahneman’s game:
Already standing 6-foot-11 and weighing 235 pounds, Tommy Ahneman looks the part. He has good length with wide-set shoulders that allow one to think that he should be able to continue adding good weight without losing much mobility or athleticism.
Where Ahneman excels is with his post work on the block. He is equipped with excellent footwork and an innate feel for angles. He sets up a wide target on his spot on the block and then feels the defender to counter which direction he goes. Ahneman has a couple of go-to moves on the block and he also has a counter for each.
Ahneman has soft, passer-friendly hands, and he has touch over both shoulders. He can absorb contact and finish the play. While his footwork, size, and body control allow for a lot of clean looks on the block, he is an adept passer, able to make the simple reads out of the post.
While Ahneman is as good of a low-block scorer as I have evaluated over the past five or so recruiting cycles, he does not do much outside of 15 feet. He has touch, so extending his range will be something to key in as he continues to develop and progress his game. Also, continuing to work on his lateral quickness and stamina. The 6-foot-11 post has a good straight-line burst. When he loads his feet he can finish through contact and over would-be defenders. Continuing to work on his hip flexibility and defensive footwork will go a long way with him.
With that said, there are simply not a lot of players over the last few recruiting cycles, that you can set up on the block, feed an entry pass, and be confident they can get a bucket. Tommy Ahneman is that guy.