Wisconsin Basketball Lands Its First Transfer of 2025

Andrew Rohde announced his commitment to Wisconsin basketball on Thursday, captionining a social media post, "Blessed!"

The Brookfield native spent his first collegiate season with the St. Thomas Tommies in Minneapolis. Two years ago, Rohde transferred to join the Virginia Cavaliers, impressing in his first two seasons in high-major college basketball after posting 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in the Summit League. 

After a bit of a transition year as a sophomore, Rohde broke out again in Charlottesville. Virginia averaged only 64.8 points per game as a team, with Rohde accounting for 9.3 on average. Adjusted to Wisconsin's high-flying offense, that would equate to 11.5 points per contest. 

Perhaps most impressive for the junior was the development of his three-point shot. Rohde combined to shoot only 30.2% from beyond the arc in his first two collegiate seasons. This past year, he improved dramatically, connecting on 41.3% of his 104 attempts from deep. 

The Brookfield Central High School product is also a talented playmaker. According to Kenpom, his assist rate of 29.6 ranked him in the top 100 of all men's Division I players this past season. The point guard led his team, dishing out 4.3 assists per game. 

Aside from his offensive prowess, Rohde is a willing defender. His 1.2 steals per game with the Cavaliers would have led all Badgers despite Wisconsin basketball playing far more possessions per game than Virginia. According to Kenpom, UVA ranked 361st of all 364 DI teams in adjusted tempo, while UW finished 149th this past season. 

Wisconsin Basketball Lands Andrew Rohde: The Impact

Following Camren Hunter's and Daniel Freitag's disappointing exits, skepticism about another lead guard coming to Madison would be warranted. However, with Rohde's combination of size and experience, his floor should be much higher. 

He may not be a one-to-one replacement for Hepburn, who earned First-Team All-ACC honors and was named the conference's defensive player of the year following his one season with the Louisville Cardinals. But Rohde should at minimum be able to replicate the success of another in-state product who transferred to the Badgers to play the point: Kamari McGee.

In 21.9 minutes, McGee averaged 6.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.9 steals per game in his final season in Madison. Rohde is jumping up in competition from the ACC, the fifth-highest-rated conference in college basketball last season according to Kenpom, to the Big Ten, ranked second. Still, the jump is nowhere near as significant as Hunter's attempt after starting in the ASUN. 

With his shooting and scoring ability, Rohde can be so much more than a lead guard. He has proven at multiple levels of college basketball that he can put the ball in the hoop. 

With the Gard/Kirk Penney offense predicated on "really trying to spread the floor, create as much spacing as possible, giving guys the opportunity to drive if they want to, a lot of room for the bigs to roll without having too much help, and also having players that can shoot the ball, the fit just makes sense. 

If nothing else, Rohde can fall back on his size. At 6-foot-6, 185-pounds, he would have been the tallest guard on the Wisconsin basketball roster last season. Rohde is listed at just one inch shorter than Carter Gilmore. 

You can follow staff writer Kedrick Stumbris at @KedrickStumbris on X