Fresh Start Sophomores: The Best of the Transfer Portal Lot
A dive into four players in new scenarios hoping to make as large of a splash during their sophomore season as possible
By and large, the NBA Draft has not overlapped a ton with the NCAA’s transfer portal. There are many reasons for it: the NBA’s desire to operate off one-and-done prospects seems to be the main culprit. But with the portal more widely accepted now than ever, writing off players who transfer schools or look for greener pastures in college would be a bad idea.
With that growing acceptance of the portal comes keeping eyes earlier in the draft cycle on those who had great seasons at low-major players who transfer up to track if they keep that same level of production in the high-major ranks. It’s worth knowing younger players who didn’t perform well as a freshman and just needed a change of scenery to return to their one-and-done potential.
Whichever path they’ve crossed, these four players strike me as having the legitimate potential to declare for the draft after a strong 2023-24 college basketball season. These five sophomores are getting a fresh start and defining themselves as mainstream prospects once again. Let’s see if they can capitalize…
Andrew Rohde, Virginia
Andrew Rohde really is Milwaukee’s Finest.
A slim, unassuming physique causes folks to overlook the Wisconsin native, but he is an absolutely lethal shooter who converts in a variety of ways. Rohde had several low or mid-major offers coming out of high school, but chose to go to St. Thomas, a recent addition to the D1 ranks after being a dominant D3 school for decades. The Tommies snagged Rohde fairly early, and while the mid-majors and high-majors came knocking after a strong final AAU season, he stayed the course.
Rohde put up tremendous numbers as a freshman with the Tommies in the vastly-underrated Summit League. He averaged 17-3-3, made 53.8% of his shots inside the arc as a 6’4” guard, and helped his team win 19 games in only their second Division I season.
Now Rohde is headed to Virginia, where he’s undoubtedly going to be sized up and overlooked. At first glance, Rohde is incredibly unassuming; he’s not a great athlete, not physically imposing, and doesn’t have the flashy game to make up for it. But he’s damn effective in so many ways — from his crafty finishing and change-of-pace inside to his movement shooting and deep range.
Rohde and the Hoos are the perfect fit for each other. He reminds me a lot of a guy who is currently in the NBA and played under Tony Bennett a few years ago: Ty Jerome. Rohde’s skill is what carries him, and while he plays some hybrid of the point and combo guard positions, he’s going to just make impressive basketball plays in whatever role he’s asked to fill.
After (at least) one season at Virginia, Rohde will be able to answer the questions that many scouts will have: can he defend elite athletes? The Tommies were a poor defensive group this year, and while Rohde is bigger than he gets credit for at the guard spot, his ability to defend will be developed in Bennett’s scheme and challenged in the athletic ACC. From what I remember seeing of Rohde at Peach Jam, I think he’s going to hold up alright.
Guys like Rohde are overlooked by trade; he plays such a grounded style that it’s easy to view his athletic ceiling as being low enough to exclude him from NBA impact. But there’s just something about this kid that I’ve fallen for in watching him play. He’s high on my list of potential breakout candidates.
Ven-Allen Lubin, Vanderbilt
When identifying talent among younger players, size and athletic traits are always the easiest tools that stand out. Ven-Allen Lubin has looked like a future pro in that regard; he’s got a big frame with imposing strength and real mobility. Yet the former 4-star recruit saw the skill side catch up to him a bit as a freshman at Notre Dame, failing to carve out a consistent role or become a unique two-way player.