Transfer Guard Andrew Rohde Commits to Virginia

Tony Bennett has landed his second transfer recruit in less than a week. Andrew Rohde announced his commitment to Virginia today, following an official visit over the weekend. The transfer guard from St. Thomas was a First-Team Summit League selection and the league’s Freshman of the Year this past season. He’ll have three years left to play for the Wahoos.

Andrew Rohde's Recruitment

Rohde was a late bloomer who went overlooked out of Brookfield Central High in Milwaukee. He became a popular mid-major recruit in his final summer before eventually choosing St. Thomas. It proved to be quite the pull for the Tommies. Rohde was an immediate star there, averaging 17.1 points and 3.6 assists as a freshman. Both team highs.

His transfer recruitment was handled very privately. He never talked to the media, and it was hard to even get information about who was pursuing him. Virginia was in contact with him from the start. The more familiar the coaching staff became with him, the more they wanted him. In the end, he was Bennett’s top transfer guard choice. .

Rohde visited Creighton and Virginia. It came down to those two programs. We know Wisconsin, Marqueete, Minnesota, and Xavier were among those who tried to get involved. There were surely many others.

There were some helpful connections for Virginia. Rohde played for Reece Beekman’s old AAU program. Some of those same people who the UVA staff knows well were advising him through the recruiting process. He and Virginia freshman Leon Bond are old friends too. They played on the same AAU team when they were younger, and faced off regularly in high school.

What Andrew Rohde Brings to Virginia

With great size at 6-6 combined with a point guard’s skillset, Rohde is a swiss army knife in the backcourt. You can slot him at all three guard positions, almost regardless of opposition lineup. He could run the point on offense, then defend the small forward spot on the other end. A little bit reminiscent of Ty Jerome in that way.

Rohde plays with a lot of confidence, and has a deep shooting range. He only shot 32% from behind the arc this season, but it ticks up to 36% from January forward. And that was on very high volume. He won’t be asked to do nearly as much at Virginia, at least not right away. I expect his efficiency to improve just from taking fewer difficult shots.

He is very adept at using his size to get into the lane and score or create opportunities for teammates. The physical side is where he can improve, and part of why UVA is a good fit for him from the development standpoint. If he can become a bit quicker and more explosive in the years ahead to go along with the rest of his skill package, his upside is tremendous.

Many scouts consider Rohde a future NBA prospect. It’s a big time addition for Virginia. I expect him to compete for a starting job next season and earn a significant role right away.

Virginia's Recruiting Going Forward

Virginia is now at nine scholarship players locked in for next season. Reece Beekman could potentially make ten. He has until the May 31st deadline to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft.

They'll look to add at least one more player. Former Georgia Tech commit Blue Cain is the guy to watch right now. The 2023 guard from IMG Academy (FL) visited over the weekend. There’s optimism about landing him, even after Rohde’s commitment. He’s also visited Georgia and Florida.

This weekend, attention turns back to the 2024 class. Coaches will be out attending AAU events as part of the first Spring live evaluation period. Things will start to intensify with top targets on that front. Recruits like recent visitor Jarin Stevenson, among others. There’s bound to be some new scholarship offers as a result as well.

Regardless of what happens with Blue Cain, there will probably be some more portal activity in the weeks ahead as well. It’s a hectic but fun time of year on the recruiting scene.

The Wrap

Coach Bennett and his staff wanted to use this opportunity not just to plug holes for next season, but to add valuable young players for the long haul. You can see that vision taking shape with the addition of Andrew Rohde. He should be a key player for several years.

The goal is to build a young core that can compete for a national championship again in the near future. They’re one piece closer today.

(Featured Image Credit: Rebecca S. Gratz/AP)