Rohde’s 3-pointer will be one to remember

By Jerry Ratcliffe

A year ago, when it came down to clutch time, Andrew Rohde was the last guy Virginia would have counted on to take the biggest shot of the game.

My, how things have changed.

The 6-foot-6 junior guard from Milwaukee was the hero in UVA’s 60-57 win over visiting Florida State on Tuesday night. In a see-saw battle over the last eight minutes, Rohde found himself under immense pressure with only a minute to play.

In a tie game (55-55), the Cavaliers were working for a good look at the basket, but the shot clock was ticking down as center Blake Buchanan was looking for an open teammate. Buchanan spotted Rohde in the right corner, lasered a pass to him and Rohde launched a last-second prayer.

Swish.

Rohde got the shot off just in time, with the red light and zeros glaring the harsh reality to Florida State that the shot was good. Virginia went up 58-55, which turned out to be enough for the win with 59 seconds showing. FSU had its chances over the final minute but couldn’t pull it out (see related story for game details, box score, team notebook and more).

Outgoing FSU coach Leonard Hamilton, who is stepping down at season’s end after 23 years in Tallahassee, wasn’t taking Rohde for granted, likely a strong shift in philosophy from last season when Rohde lacked the confidence to put up a winning shot under such pressure.

“Well, if you look at [Virginia’s] stats, you know how many guys were close to 40 percent (from the 3-point arc),” Hamilton said. “So we weren’t trying to discriminate. We thought all of them could shoot because basically, they’re shooting close to 37, 38 percent from 3, so we didn’t slack off anybody.”

Hamilton was right. The Cavaliers entered the game ranked No. 26 nationally in 3-point percentage (37.7), and to a somewhat-inexperienced defense like FSU’s (Hamilton pointed out he has 10 new players who are still learning basic facets of the Seminoles’ system), Virginia’s array of shooters must have seemed like a Murderer’s Row in film sessions.

Isaac McKneely makes 41.6 percent of his shots from Bonusphere, Rohde 40 percent, Taine Murray 42.3 percent, Dai Dai Ames 35.6, Ishan Sharma 35.4 and Elijah Saunders 34.6. When the Wahoos are on, they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Tuesday night, they were on, making 11 of 24 (45.8), with Rohde leading the way with 4 of 8. That was not the case last year when he transferred into Virginia from the portal, having come off a glorious freshman campaign at St. Thomas in Minnesota. He became the first Tommie freshman to score 500 points in a season en route to being selected as the Summit League Freshman of the Year.

During that season, Rohde shot 44.8 percent from the field, 32 percent from the arc and 81.5 percent from the free-throw line.

No wonder Wahoo fans had great expectations and spent last season scratching their heads after Rohde’s numbers dropped off dramatically: 29 percent FG, 25 percent from the 3-point line, even a shocking 44 percent from the charity stripe.

Was the jump to the ACC too big a leap? Did Virginia recruiters just make a mistake? Did early-season struggles get inside his head as he allowed the pressure to get to him?

More likely, it was the latter that caused him to have a confidence problem. Whatever it was, Rohde eliminated his issues through intense work in the offseason.

“With this turnaround, I think he’s just confident,” said Virginia interim coach Ron Sanchez. “He’s now a second-year guy in the ACC. You have to go through some things, and Andrew’s gone through some things. He puts work in and has more experience.

“He could handle that moment. He’s not living in the rear-view mirror.”

Rohde’s improvement is perhaps the most eye-popping leap from one season to the next of any Virginia player in memory. Not only has his shooting made him a dangerous player, but his ballhandling has elevated his status among ACC guards. He’s always been a good passer.

Another thing Sanchez likes to point out about his junior guard is his fire. Rohde plays with great passion and has been known to talk some trash, and even mix it up a bit with opponents. His spirit is something some of his teammates could learn from.

On Tuesday night, though, it was the one shot — a dagger — that beat the Seminoles and broke a tie for 10th place in the ACC standings. Rohde knew he didn’t have much time to get off the shot and put as much arc on it as he could, a round, leather rainbow that sent Florida State packing.

Saunders, who finished the game with 12 points and 3 triples along with seven stitches in his chin and a new No. 55 jersey (his No. 2 was bloodied, forcing the change), said he was under the basket watching the shot.

“I saw Rohde just sprint to the corner and I was like, ‘Well, it’s gonna go, so I was just excited,” said Saunders, who transferred in from San Diego State. “Hearing about the struggles that Rohde had last year and the role he stepped into for this team, being our point guard, leader of the floor, accepting that role, it’s good to see that for him.”