The Notre Dame basketball team is still building towards what it really wants to be under head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Unfortunately, one of the more interesting pieces in that build, Tommy Ahneman, is out for at least the first part of the season. He could very well see what would have been his first season in South Bend pushed back.
Ahneman joined the Fighting Irish during what was a heck of a recruiting run for Shrewsberry. The No. 1 recruit in the state of Minnesota averaged 16.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks during his last year in high school. While there wasn't really a need for him to play meaningful minutes in his true-freshman season, there was at least some hope he could add depth in the middle as Shrewsberry continues a climb in the always tough ACC.
Notre Dame basketball loses freshman center Tommy Ahneman to early injury setback
Unfortunately, at least for now, the Notre Dame center is sidelined after he underwent knee surgery. If there is a bit of hope surrounding Tommy Ahneman, it's that he has not been ruled out for the entire 2025-26 season. The Irish said his ability to return will be assessed around January with the guidance of associate director of sports medicine Courtney McNamara Martin.
Notre Dame will rely on forwards Kebba Njie, a senior, and Carson Towt, a graduate transfer from Northern Arizona, as their primary post players this coming season. The 6-10 Njie started 30 games for the Irish last season and averaged 6.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. The 6-8 Towt led Division I in rebounds per game last with 12.4 per game in addition to scoring 13.3 points per game at Northern Arizona.
Irish fans will get their first look at the Notre Dame basketball team that is projected to finish 10th in the 18-team ACC on Friday when they play an exhibition against Butler.