Baller Interviews with 3 STARS

The prep season is finished and the club season has tipped off. We are back to having live hoops! With that said, PHD is bringing back the Baller Interviews.     We chatted with ballers from both North Dakota & South Dakota!     Prep Hoops Dakotas (PHP) caught up with [player_tooltip player_id='1656547' first='Jack' last='Erickson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1384718' first='Marvin' last='Richard'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1310206' first='Tommy' last='Ahneman']. These ballers are athletic, skilled, and are full of intrigue. We shot 10 questions at them and they gave us some interesting and compelling answers!     Look below for the 3 Baller Interviews…<a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/PHD.jpg"></a><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/PHD.jpg"></a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/PHD.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/PHD.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1272514" style="width:176px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1656547' first='Jack' last='Erickson'] (2024) |6'5 SF| Baltic     3rd Team All-State. 21.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 45.2 FG%     Q&A with [player_tooltip player_id='1656547' first='Jack' last='Erickson']   PHD: Can you briefly recap your school season for us?     "Our school season went very well in my opinion. Although we didn't make it as far as we were hoping, it was still a lot of fun and we had very good moments."     PHD: What role did you play on your high school team?     "I was the main scorer for our team this season. I also was a leader for all the younger kids on the team."     PHD: What is your best hoops memory from the season?     "After our second game of the season when we defeated Dell Rapids in a close game. It was the first time in about 25-30 years that Baltic beat Dell Rapids, so our community was very proud of our team."     PHD: Do you have any fun plans for the summer?     "I'm planning on spending a lot of time with my friends, and hopefully enjoy time at the lake."     PHD: Who was the best player you competed against this season?     "I'd have to say that [player_tooltip player_id='1266223' first='Alec' last='Squires'] is one of the hardest players that we had to face this season. Although I wasn't matched up on him, he made it very difficult for everyone else on the court because of how dominant he can be in the paint."     PHD: What is your best off-the-court memory from the school season?     "I'd have to say that the team meal at the end of the season was the best memory off the court this season. It was a lot of fun being with the guys and we all enjoyed being with each other."     PHD: Do you plan on playing basketball in college?     "I do plan on playing college basketball, however, I haven't decided where to yet."     PHD: Who do you have winning the NCAA Tourney?     "I have Creighton winning the whole tournament because I think that they are hard to stop when they are playing well."     PHD: What is the best basketball memory from your career at Baltic?     "I think that my personal favorite memory would be our game against Canton this season. The atmosphere at the game was amazing. It was a great matchup and we played outstanding that night and secured the win. On top of it all, it was our signature day, so after the game we got to sign posters and other things for the younger kids from Baltic."     [player_tooltip player_id='1384718' first='Marvin' last='Richard'] (2026) |6'2 G| Pine Ridge     1st Team All-State. 23.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.7 apg, 49 FG%     Q&A with [player_tooltip player_id='1384718' first='Marvin' last='Richard']     PHD: Can you briefly recap your school season for us?     "Our season started out strong by winning an LNI championship. We beat a well-rounded Groton Area team. Our only loss came from a solid Hot Springs team which helped us regroup as a team and come together stronger. After that, we went onto a sixteen-game winning streak that included a tough White River team, West Central, and Vermillion."     PHD: What role did you play on your high school team?     "This season I stepped into a leadership role. Although I'm only a sophomore, this is my third season on varsity, so I came in with a little more experience. It was my job to be the facilitator. By being the leading scorer, going into our games it would cause our opposing defenses to focus a little heavier on me which helped me get the ball to my open guys."     PHD: What is your best hoops memory from the season?     "This season I fulfilled my childhood dream of winning LNI, I've been attending the tournament since I was a baby, and getting to see my two older sisters win it made me wanna join the club. Another one of my favorite moments from the season was scoring my 1000th point, because I watched one of my sisters reach her."     PHD: Do you have any fun plans for the summer?     "Shooting. I'm a decent shooter but I think I should be more consistent. I think I can become a better ball handler by protecting the ball in traffic. I also think I can continue to work on my leadership skills. Learning how to finish against taller players."     PHD: Who was the best player you competed against this season?     "[player_tooltip player_id='1270361' first='Lane' last='Tietz'], because he is a great defender and also great offensively. [player_tooltip player_id='1266275' first='Nic' last='Marshall'], because he can get to the hoop with ease and finish through contact."     PHD: What is your best off-the-court memory from the school season?     "This season we had an after-school program called Little Thorpes where we worked with kids from kindergarten through fourth grade and helped them work on their fundamentals. Seeing all the support from our community throughout the season and how they came together for us at the State Tournament. It was also really cool that I got asked to sign autographs. I thought it was really cool that it came from kids that weren't from my own community instead they came from elsewhere in the state."     PHD: Do you have any fun offseason plans outside basketball?     "Traveling to California with my family for my cousin's high school graduation. Looking forward to going to the lake and hanging out with friends. Most of all I really am looking forward to playing basketball and staying in the gym. I am excited to travel with my AAU team and experience new places I've never been to."     PHD: What type of work will you put in to expand your game?     "My AAU team is a part of the 3SSB circuit so I'm looking forward to playing against some of the best players in the country which will help me gain more experience but also living in the gym."     PHD: Who do you have winning the NCAA Tourney?     "I wanna be biased and straight out say Duke just because they're my favorite team. Realistically I think Uconn has a shot at defending their title because they're a disciplined well-coached team and are very unselfish and they all work well together."     PHD: What are your basketball plans for the spring & summer?     "This summer I will be traveling with team JSizzle on the 3SSB circuit. I'll also be traveling with my friends to all-native tournaments. I'll also be attending team camps and team leagues with my school team."     [player_tooltip player_id='1310206' first='Tommy' last='Ahneman'] (2025) |6'10 PF| West Fargo Sheyenne     1st Team All-State. 20.5 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 62.1 FG%     Q&A with [player_tooltip player_id='1310206' first='Tommy' last='Ahneman']     PHD: Can you briefly recap your school season for us?     "The season started off hot with the first game against BHS and we kept that with us through most of the season. We had a little dip before the EDC tournament then we really turned it on from the EDC Qualifier and throughout State."     PHD: What role did you play on your high school team?     "I believe my role on the team was to be an inside presence and rim protect score when I got the opportunity and try to block as many shots possible."     PHD: What is your best hoops memory from the season?     "My favorite memory has to be winning State with this group. It was such a fun year being around everyone."     PHD: What do you want to improve on this offseason?     "I want to improve on expanding my game out from just the post and improve my ball handling and lateral quickness."     PHD: Who was the best player you competed against this season?     "The best player I competed against has to be [player_tooltip player_id='1144600' first='Carter' last='Zeller'] because he's so strong and fundamentally sound that he'll get in position to grab a rebound before a shot has even gone up and he's very good at moving his feet and makes it really hard to score down low on him."     PHD: What is your best off-the-court memory from the school season?     "My favorite off-the-court memory is the hotel rooms at State. I think everyone on the team grew closer together during the 3 days in Bismarck."     PHD: Do you have any fun offseason plans outside basketball?     "At the moment with AAU starting I don't have anything planned outside of basketball so we'll just have to see what happens."     PHD: What type of work will you put in to expand your game?     "I plan on getting a lot of shots up then getting with a trainer to lift and get faster and stronger."     PHD: Who do you have winning the NCAA Tourney?     "I got Illinois winning it all this year. Their peaking at the right time and play a really good brand of basketball."     PHD: What are your basketball plans for the spring & summer?     "I'm playing for Howard Pulley this spring and summer and I plan on going to a lot of college camps."     Best of luck to Jack, Marvin, and Tommy this spring & summer, you have a bright future!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/ballerinterviews.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/ballerinterviews.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2119266" /></a></figure>

The prep season is finished and the club season has tipped off. We are back to having live hoops! With that said, PHD is bringing back the Baller Interviews.