Madison Ohm is a 5-foot-11 guard who will be a senior at Byron this coming school year. Ohm has spent her summer playing basketball for North Tartan’s 17-under team, the top collection of players in the state and one that includes No. 1 player Maddyn Greenway, Providence Academy’s stellar guard who has committed to the University of Kentucky.
The team also includes three other top-100 nationally ranked players, guard Averie Lower (Clear Creek, Iowa), forward Adaline Sheplee (Eau Claire, Wis.) and center Sahara Wilson (Lakeville, Minn.). Ohm is not a nationally ranked player, but she has received four Division I offers, from Marist University (New York), Bowling Green University (Ohio), Rider University (New Jersey) and the University of North Dakota. Ohm has yet to commit to a college and has visits planned for this month and next.
Your AAU season with North Tartan began in March and won’t end until July 21, when a tournament in Chicago wraps up. You’ve played tournaments in Louisville, Houston, Virginia Beach (Va.) and three in Minnesota. Are you tired of all of this yet?
I love AAU basketball. It’s actually gone by so fast. I’m sad that it’s almost over.
This team is chock-full of high-end talent and is the best AAU team in Minnesota. Still, you have managed to become a starter on it. What has your role been?
My role is doing the little things. Our coach is big on getting rebounds and playing really good defense. Half of our practices are spent just on defense. That’s a huge thing. Also, my role is just to move the ball, set screens away and knock down 3-point shots when they’re open.
You aren’t scoring a lot, about six points per game. But your shooting percentage is around 60 percent from the field. That tells us you’re not shooting a lot. You averaged 18.4 points per game this past high school season. Do you miss being a go-to scorer while playing on this team?
I don’t think about how much I’m scoring when I’m out there. I feel like I have adjusted really well to not being a big scorer on this team. I think it’s just fine the way it is. I’m just trying to help my team win as much as I can. So many girls on this team are just super good at scoring.
You are playing in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, which includes many of the top players in the United States. What’s it been like to compete at that level?
The speed of the game is so much faster than (high school basketball). Every single girl you play against at this level is good. You have to rotate so much faster on defense and just sprint up the floor. In high school, you can get away with not boxing out as much. But here, if you don’t box out, the girl you’re guarding is going to go right around you and grab the rebound.
Do you like the challenge that comes with this level?
I definitely do. The challenge is the most fun part. You get to play against all of these really good players. Lots of them, I’ll eventually be watching on ESPN. Before the season started, l didn’t know how many minutes I was going to get. But after the first few practices, I realized I could play with these girls.
You’ve been on the road a bunch, staying in hotels with your teammates and making the trips with your father, Joe Ohm. What do you do in your down time?
We hang out a lot in each other’s rooms, or go and get ice cream. In Houston, there was a big mall that we all went to. We are a very connected group, definitely. I love playing with them. Everyone encourages each other to do good. It’s just fun to play with them.
Are you seeing many college scouts at your tournaments?
Yeah, there are tons of scouts. Usually about 60 of them at a time. Every school is here in Louisville (where North Tartan was playing in a four-day tournament when Ohm was reached by phone Friday). When we were in Virginia, we saw (Connecticut coach) Gino Auriemma scouting one of our games. It was cool to look over and see him. And the Kentucky coaches are there a lot watching Maddyn.
What’s it like playing with Maddyn Greenway, a girl who averaged 32.2 points per game this past season playing for Providence Academy and has scored 4,000 points in her career? She is a superstar, ranked 11th in the country for her 2026 graduating class.
I love playing with Maddyn. Her passing is so good and she is so fast. She can score off the dribble and get to the rim super well. I thought I’d notice her shooting a lot, but I really don’t. I’ve really not noticed that at all. She is very confident and other teams might see her as cocky. But I don’t see that. I think she’s just great.
Any perks playing in the Nike EYBL circuit? Is Nike coming through?
I’ve gotten a bunch of Nike gear. I’ve gotten three pairs of basketball shoes from them, one pair of regular shoes and one pair of slides. And I think I’m getting another pair of basketball shoes. I’ve also gotten a Nike sweatshirt and T-shirts. I wear all of that stuff.
You are being pretty heavily recruited. How is that going and when do you predict you’ll decide on a college?
I hope to have decided sometime in August, after our tournaments and my visits are done. I think the recruiting has gone fine. I like talking to the college coaches.
Pat has been a Post Bulletin sports reporter since 1994. He covers Rochester John Marshall football, as well as a variety of other southeastern Minnesota football teams. Among my other southeastern Minnesota high school beats are girls basketball, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls track and field, high school and American Legion baseball, volleyball, University of Minnesota sports (on occasion) and the Timberwolves (on occasion). Readers can reach Pat at 507-285-7723 or pruff@postbulletin.com.