SOUTH BEND – That first summer pickup session on the Rolfs Hall practice court was equally awesome and awful for Notre Dame basketball sophomore power forward Tommy Ahneman.
Awful because his body balked at every step. The lungs burned. The legs ached. His arms felt like he was carrying 100-pound dumbbells in each hand. He hadn’t played like that, moved like that, sweated like that, since he was a high school senior averaging 16.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game in suburban Minneapolis.
He forgot how much he missed – and loved – playing basketball. Forget the scores or the stats. There was freedom being on the floor.
That was the awesome part – competing. No more riding the stationary bike or visiting the training room. No more individual skills work with members of the coaching staff. No more take-it-slow steps with two-on-two or three-on-three games or light shooting or trying to stay in somewhat decent shape during a lost first season.
That day in late June was about Ahneman being at his best. Running the floor. Grabbing rebounds. Creating space under the bucket with his 6-foot-11, 250-pound frame. Basketball was back in Ahneman’s life after being gone too long. Ahneman thought he’d feel all those feels last season, but fall surgery – his second surgery on his left knee – ended his year before it started.
Ahneman’s biggest contribution may have been when he served as a human roadblock after the January 2 loss at Cal, but we digress.
“When you’re out, you realize how much you miss it and how much you love what you do,” Ahneman told the Tribune in an exclusive conversation in mid-July. “It’s really hard, being on the sideline. Once you get back, you put your head down and just go.
“It’s like, ‘Let’s just play.’”
A year ago, Ahneman could just watch. Off to the side during weekday practices in Rolfs, then at the end of the bench during home and road games. Being injured messed with his mind. He still was part of the team and was with his teammates on road trips in and out of ACC play, but when you can’t do anything other than watch, it’s different.
That’s why those first few days in June were so sweet. He was a part of it. Finally.
“It’s like you’re not an island anymore,” Ahneman said. “Just being able to participate, you feel closer to everything because you’re out there putting in the work and grinding it out. You get the full feeling of what college basketball is like.”
Last winter, Ahneman was left alone to figure it out for himself. He found small wins and sanctuary in other ways. Like bulking up his upper body in the weight room and doing well in the classroom or going back to his dorm and crushing the leg-raise exercises assigned by trainer Courtney McNamara Martin.
Rehab was his regular season. He may have won more than the Irish.
“Anything I could do to help speed up the recovery process,” Ahneman said. “It didn’t, but it just felt good in the moment. That was beneficial.”
To ensure that the entire year wasn’t wasted, Ahneman did pay attention while off to the side or at the end of the bench. He watched how former graduate transfer Carson Towt battled in the post. He realized what life as an ACC big is like. He absorbed as much as he could, so that when spring and summer came, he knew what he was getting himself into for 2026-27.
“College basketball is hard,” Ahneman said. “It’s physical. It’s a grind. It’s a long season. It’s a roller coaster.”
Ahneman rode that coaster alone last season. He was hurt, and most of his teammates were not. They played. They connected. Ahneman felt he made a connection even if he wasn’t playing. That bond carried over into spring (when six players fled for the transfer portal) and summer (when 10 new guys arrived).
If health is Priority One for a college basketball player, being a good teammate might be a close second.
“You can really connect with the dudes on your team,” Ahneman said. “Those are the dudes you need to talk to when something’s not going your way and times are tough. They can help you with what you’re thinking. This is a family.”
Watching Ahneman work in a recent open practice, you see his skills. At the rim. Under the boards. His size. His ability to set screens and get others open. You also see all the rust, which has started to sprinkle off his game each time up and down the floor.
There goes some. There goes some more.
“He’s had a good summer,” said head coach Micah Shrewsberry. “He’s competitive. He can score the ball around the basket. He can go and rebound, and he’s physical.
“College basketball is still new to him. He was here (last year). He saw it, but playing is a different deal.”
One that Ahneman wants to deliver on. Coming clear of the summer bridge program, graduate transfer Logan Duncomb is the clear starter at power forward. He could be a consistent double-double guy. He’s old. He knows all the tricks.
Behind Duncomb, who has never averaged more than 25 minutes per game in his college career, opportunity exists. Opportunity for points and rebounds and blocks and an interior presence.
Opportunity for Ahneman to be this team’s second big if he wants it. He wants it.
“I just have to keep doing what I’m doing,” he said. “Logan’s taught me a lot; Coach has been great. Hopefully, I can contribute whatever I can.”
Whatever it is, it will be more than last year. For Ahneman, that’s a start.
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: Why this year already is different for one Notre Dame basketball player
Reporting by Tom Noie, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tom Noie, South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
