Q&A-Ahearn Looking to Make Impact on Wolves

First off, welcome to Minnesota Blake.

Thank you. I'm really happy to be here. I love the city and am honored for the opportunity to compete for a spot with the Wolves.

With Mankato in your rear view mirror, what were your impressions of training camp and how do you think everything went?

Everything went really well. The time I spent in the summer with the organization really prepared me for what to expect in camp and I'm really glad I'm here right now. I familiarized myself with the ball-club a lot over the off-season, which played a huge role in me deciding to come to training camp with Minnesota. The relationships I built over the summer made it a lot easier of a transition for me.

You have to see an opportunity to be the third point guard in Minnesota. How do you approach the prospects of opening the season with the Wolves?

It's a perfect situation for me. My whole life-story has been taking advantage of opportunities. Wherever I go, I just try to do what I do. I only can control certain things; I'm not worrying about things I have no control over, such as how other players perform or specific circumstances. Right now I'm focused on playing hard and doing what I do best - shoot, being a floor leader and make plays.

Randy Foye has talked throughout camp about the system and playing within the schemes, does this system here in Minnesota fit to your strengths?

Yeah, most definitely. I'd like to consider myself a smart player. With my situation here in Minnesota- trying to prove myself- there's going to be times when I'm going to make mistakes by trying to make something happen when it's not there. At the end of the day, I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here. I'm going to play the same game I've been playing for the last 20 years.

Is the system here in Minnesota any different from those you've been a part of in the past?

The experience I received last year in Miami has helped me out a great deal. They had a lot of injuries that gave me the opportunity to come in right away and play a great deal. By my second game, I was playing 30 minutes in Detroit. I was able to get my feet wet real quick. Each place I go and each stop I make there's going to be great players there. I just have to work hard to make an impact.

What made you decide on Minnesota and how did your decision come about?

The big thing for me was that I had played summer league with them. I thought I played pretty well there. We had some mutual interest and we both realized that the opportunity was there for me to come in and be their third point guard. I like the guys and the staff. My strengths are my shooting and playmaking abilities. I feel there are plenty of guys in this organization that I can learn from who shoot the ball well and distribute the ball well. Improving as a player is extremely important for me at this point in my career.

How well do you know your teammates already?

I got here a couple of weeks ago, which gave me the chance to sit down with the guys that were here and get to know them a little bit. It was nice not getting here the day before and being thrown in to a situation full of a bunch of strangers. Everyone is great and willing to help. They're all reaching out to help teach me and I'm just doing what I can to learn from them.

Did you think falling into Al might affect your status on the team?

Haha. I thought that might have gotten me a plane ticket home. It was a goofy situation. I think I was guarding Madsen at the time and all I remember is the ball ending up hitting my head or something causing me to fall down. The next thing I heard was someone scream and I prayed that it wasn't Al and there he is on the floor bellowing in pain. I felt really bad at the time, but even worse when a day-or-two later I saw that he going to be out for two-to-three weeks. I didn't know how much longer I was going to be around.