Top-ranked recruit in Minnesota, Tommy Ahneman, narrows list to five, including Gophers

Cretin-Derham Hall center Tommy Ahneman, the top-ranked senior boys basketball recruit in Minnesota, narrowed his list of college programs to five finalists this week.

The Gophers, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and Notre Dame made the cut for the 6-11 Ahneman, who was North Dakota’s high school player of the year last season before transferring to Minnesota from Fargo this summer.

Ahneman’s official visit to the Gophers is scheduled for Aug. 29, followed by trips to Notre Dame (Sept. 7), Wisconsin (Sept. 14), Nebraska (Sept. 20) and Iowa (Oct. 11). Four-star guard Amari Allen from IMG Academy in Florida will also visit the Gophers and Wisconsin on the same dates.

“I can’t wait to go back and go in-depth with all of it,” said Ahneman, who received a scholarship offer from the U on his unofficial visit June 5.

Gophers coach Ben Johnson and his staff watched Ahneman playing for Howard Pulley’s 17U team this AAU season. Before the spring, Ahneman had two Division I offers, but he’s now a highly coveted four-star recruit and among the top 100 seniors in the nation, according to 247Sports and others.

Johnson told Ahneman his potential reminds him of former Prior Lake star and current Gophers senior forward Dawson Garcia, who led the team in scoring and rebounding the last two seasons.

“That’s kind of the guy they compared me to,” Ahneman said. “They showed me his clips and what they look for him on offense. It’s kind of everything I do now, so I don’t think I would have a problem doing some of the things he does. Dawson’s a great player. I feel like I could possibly replicate him or do even better.”

The first experience for Ahneman on Minnesota’s campus was actually for the Gophers junior day in football. He played right tackle for Sheyenne High in West Fargo last year, but he won’t play football his senior season at Cretin-Derham Hall.

Having family in Minnesota made the move from North Dakota much easier. Ahneman’s mother, Erin, is a Hastings native and played on the school’s state championship team in 1996. Her side of the family includes big Gophers supporters.

“Both of my grandparents were season-ticket holders,” he said. “So, I have been to plenty of Gophers games. I grew up a Gophers fan.”

The Gophers men’s basketball team added an exhibition opener Oct. 29 against Hamline earlier this month. That will come before the regular-season opener Nov. 6 against Oral Roberts at Williams Arena.

Other currently scheduled non-league home opponents include Omaha, North Texas, Yale, Cleveland State and Farleigh Dickinson. Highlighting the nonconference schedule so far is a road game vs. Missouri and the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, also featuring Florida, Wake Forest and Wichita State.