We’re almost there, almost back in the grind of another college basketball season. Before you know it, there will be a foot of snow on the ground, temperatures will be below zero, and another Atlantic Coast Conference game going up and down the court inside Purcell Pavilion.
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To get you ready for those nights and get you prepared for a Notre Dame season that starts Monday, November 3 at home against LIU Brooklyn, we’ll take an alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 2025-26 Notre Dame basketball team over the next 13 weekdays (Wednesday, October 15 through Friday, October 31).
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Who are these guys? What did they do last year? Where do they fit in this one? And what does third-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry think of them? We have the answers. Here:
∎ (12) Tommy Ahneman
Hometown (High School): Fargo, North Dakota (Cretin-Durham Hall (Minn.)
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Dimensions: 6-foot-10, 250 pounds
Projected position: Backup power forward
Class: Freshman
Notable number: After moving from North Dakota to Minnesota for his senior season, Ahneman was the state’s top-ranked college prospect and the Gatorade Player of the Year in leading his high school (Cretin-Durham Hall) to a state Class 4A runner-up finish.
24-25 stats: Averaged 16.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks.
25-26 outlook: Use this season to build toward more of a role as a sophomore by being a serviceable backup big as a freshman. There’s no urgency for Ahneman to push for playing time while working behind veteran bigs Kebba Njie and Carson Towt. He may see spot minutes here and there based on matchups, injuries, etc., but Ahneman’s best days are down the college basketball road.
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Shrews on Ahneman: “Figuring it out as a freshman playing against older guys in the paint and post. Nobody’s hitting you in high school like Kebba Njie and Carson Towt are hitting you in practice. He did something every day, and it’s like, ‘Oh, man.’ Now it’s just like, ‘I’ve got to figure out how hard I need to play and how physical I need to be to be a good player at this level.’”
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@sbtinfo.com
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Get to know Notre Dame basketball player Tommy Ahneman
