West Fargo Sheyenne's Tommy Ahneman earns ND Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year honors

WEST FARGO — Tommy Ahneman can now add another award to his already impressive high school resume.

The 6-foot-10 West Fargo Sheyenne center was announced Thursday as this year's recipient of the North Dakota Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year award.

The honor comes after Ahneman led the Mustangs to their first-ever North Dakota Division AA boys basketball state championship two weeks ago. He finished with tournament MVP honors after recording 28 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks in the title game against Fargo North.

"I foresaw us having success in the state tournament, but nowhere near did I think that it would come to Gatorade Player of the Year," Ahneman told The Forum. "It's a huge honor and it's really just a true testament to my teammates and our season together. It's hard to express, really."

David Samson/The Forum

Now in its 39th year, the Gatorade Player of the Year program "celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community," according to a news release.

The program annually selects players from all 50 states and the District of Columbia in football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball and boys and girls track and field. One national recipient from each sport is then selected by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which takes input from coaches, scouts, media and other sources throughout the selection process.

Ahneman's contributions on the hardwood helped lead Sheyenne to 20-7 overall record and the program's first state title. His 20.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game helped Ahneman earn first-team all-state honors along with being a unanimous all-conference pick.

"It's honestly just hard work and my teammates helping me do it," Ahneman said. "Caleb Duerr has been there the whole time. John Angau, Turo (Moni), Sully (Ihry), Jaxson (Miller), Noah (Olson) ... all of those guys are just uplifting. No matter how a game is going, they're always there trying to boost me up.

"If you just surround yourself with the right people, man, I feel like you can do anything."

David Samson/The Forum

Ahneman said he will never forget winning a championship with this season's Sheyenne group.

"Obviously, it was a great experience for the whole team and all of us on it," Ahneman said. "It's kind of crazy looking back that it was already two weeks ago. It still hasn't really sunk in yet that it happened. That we're state champs."

Previous Gatorade Player of the Year winners from North Dakota in boys basketball include Minot's Darik Dissette in 2022-23, Enderlin's Joe Hurlburt in 2021-22 and 2020-21, and Jamestown's Boden Skunberg in 2019-20.

Past recipients of the national award include NBA stars LeBron James, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jayson Tatum.

"I can't really even put it into words," Ahneman said. "All these years of basketball and playing since I was four or five years old ... and it all coming together to be able to say, 'I'm the Gatorade Player of the Year from North Dakota.'

"It shows all of the hard work and really sets another fire under me to keep it going, continue to build and just be even better."

David Samson/The Forum

Off the court, Ahneman carries a 3.3 grade-point average and volunteered for the ABLE Games. He's also an active member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes as well as Holy Cross Catholic Church in West Fargo.

"I got my good friend Jake Peters who is the (Fargo) Davies team manager and did the ABLE Games with him last year," Ahneman said. "It was just a great thing that I could do and a big thing for me to be able to be around that and experience that. To have fun with Jake and compete with him.

"On the academic side, if I want to go play college basketball somewhere, I need to have good academics and as long as I have good grades, I don't need to be stressed out about being ineligible or staying eligible. I can play loose and relaxed and don't have to worry about anything other than basketball at that moment."

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Ahneman continues to trek down the recruiting trail, receiving Division I basketball offers from the University of Portland and the University of North Dakota. He also had a junior day football visit with the University of Minnesota, serving as a defensive end and offensive tackle on the gridiron.

But with one year of high school to go, he's in no particular rush to lock in a decision on his future.

"I haven't made any decisions or even been on any official visits yet," Ahneman said. "I'm not really close to a decision on whether or not I'll play basketball, football or what school I'm going to go to. It's just kind of up in the air and I'm just ready to experience the rest of the recruiting process."

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Gatorade also presents each Player of the Year recipient with a grant to donate to a social impact partner of their choice. The Player of the Year program has donated more than $4.9 million to more than 1,600 organizations to date.

Ahneman said he's hoping to donate his grant money to ABLE Games, which is set to take place April 5-6 this year.

"Just because of the great experience I've had there," Ahneman said. "Hopefully that helps them get what they need to make the event even bigger and better so that more and more people can know what ABLE Games is."

Ahneman is already looking forward to his senior basketball season.

"I think we have a legitimate shot to repeat," Ahneman said. "We've got a lot of young guys that have been around practice and are working their tails off to get better. Sully (Ihry) is another returner with me and he's always putting in the work to get better. Him and I are up in the weight room together. Just yesterday, him and I were talking about stuff we can do ... going to train together, working on our ball screens, screen-and-roll or post entry and stuff.

"I"m really excited for what next year holds for Sheyenne."

David Samson/The Forum