Wisconsin kicked off its 2025 transfer portal cycle with a commitment from Virginia guard Andrew Rohde on Thursday.
Rohde joins the Badgers for his final season of eligibility. The Brookfield, Wisconsin, native spent the last two seasons as a starter at Virginia. He delivered a strong season for the 2024-25 Cavaliers, starting 26 of 30 games and averaging 30.9 minutes, 9.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. That production included a 43.2% shooting clip from the floor and a terrific 41% from 3.
Rohde was a former in-state standout at Brookfield Central High School, averaging 28.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists as a senior. He then excelled as a freshman at St. Thomas in 2022-23, averaging 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Those tallies earned him Summit League Freshman of the Year. Rohde then transferred to Virginia before the 2023-24 season.
The 6-foot-6 guard won’t be the last of Wisconsin’s transfer additions this offseason. The team has remaining needs at starting wing, starting forward and bench forward. But since his commitment is the team’s first of the offseason, it requires some big-picture takeaways:
This counts as in-state recruiting
The fabric of college basketball continues to change with each passing season. Programs like Wisconsin, for example, have been forced to join the year-in, year-out transfer cycle. Of course, Greg Gard has excelled in the area, seen clearly in the program’s addition of John Tonje last offseason.
With nearly 40% of the roster turning over every offseason, Rohde’s commitment should become a new form of in-state recruiting. The Wisconsin native began his career at St. Thomas before transferring to Virginia. While the Badgers did not offer him coming out of high school, filling the roster with in-state transfers should accomplish the same culture-building objective. The program has had major recent success doing so. Max Klesmit (Neenah, Wisconsin) and Kamari McGee (Racine, Wisconsin) each joined the Badgers after years elsewhere — Wofford and UW-Green Bay, respectively. Both were clear culture fits and drove the team’s success over the last few seasons.
I’d look for Gard and his staff to prioritize in-state transfers as the years pass. The program is always at its best with those players leading the way.
Rohde fits perfectly into the lineup
There shouldn’t be any question of how Rohde can contribute to Wisconsin’s lineup. While it’s still to be seen whether he’ll start or come off the bench, a 6-foot-6 guard with a defensive background, an ability to distribute the basketball and a 41% 3-point shooting clip is a seamless fit.
His offensive profile appears similar to Klesmit’s in many ways. While Wisconsin’s offense naturally distributes the ball throughout the lineup, Klesmit was able to score and contribute without designed touches. Rohde did the same at Virginia in 2024-25, averaging 4.3 assists and 9.3 points on just 7.8 shot attempts per game.
Wisconsin has its ball-dominant leading scorer in Blackwell, assuming he withdraws from the NBA draft. This transfer cycle is about finding complementary pieces. Rohde perfectly fits that mold.
Wisconsin’s recent offensive resurgence matters
The Wisconsin Badgers of five years ago would not have been an attractive destination for wing scorers. Johnny Davis was the first major breakthrough in 2021-22, even before Gard revamped the program’s offensive approach. A.J. Storr’s breakout in 2023-24, then primarily Tonje’s in 2024-25, helped to change the narrative surrounding the program.
Now, wing scorers see the Badgers as a professional development destination, led by a high-powered offense in which any top player can excel. Rohde may have committed anyway given his in-state ties. But when Wisconsin beats other top programs for talented wings and guards, credit Gard’s program overhaul.
Wisconsin’s upcoming transfer additions will better preview the 2025-26 starting lineup
Rohde’s commitment does not solidify Wisconsin’s 2025-26 lineup and rotation. Assuming Blackwell returns, major needs still exist across the starting five, plus in key bench roles. For now, it makes sense to pencil Rohde into a starting combo guard position next to Blackwell. But don’t be surprised if Wisconsin lands several more contributors at the position, positioning him as the team’s sixth man.
Either way, this is a strong start to the transfer cycle for the Badgers. Not that any remaining questions should exist, but Gard is in clear control of the team’s roster and talent pipeline.
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