Chris Vogt is an Answer to the Cincinnati Bearcats’ Frontcourt Question

Just yesterday I wrote a post about how the Cincinnati Bearcats were going to need depth in the froncourt due to recent transfer news. They have added some and in lightning quick fashion, with former Northern Kentucky center Chris Vogt announcing his decision to transfer to UC yesterday.

It’s almost as if John Brannen was just sitting around constantly refreshing the home page at Down the Drive, waiting for some sort of direction. Almost.

In actuality, this has probably been in the works for at least the last week because Vogt formerly played for Brannen with the Norse and the news that the 7-foot center would transfer only broke about a week ago. Vogt was a three-star recruit for Northern Kentucky, but played rather sparingly over the last two seasons before deciding he needed a change of scenery. It’s likely no coincidence that he is following Brannen to UC and with a definite need in the froncourt, the Bearcats should benefit from his addition. But what exactly can we expect from Vogt based on his previous work?

As I mentioned, Vogt didn’t get to play all that much during his two seasons with the Norse. He appeared in only 13 games as a freshman and took a total of 10 shots. This past season featured a larger helping of playing time, but he was still considered one of the last guys off the bench, averaging only 12.9 minutes per game.

Despite the limited chances, Vogt did display real skill as a rim protector, which is excellent news for a UC team which already lost its top shot blocker in Nysier Brooks and is likely losing another strong contributor in that area in Eliel Nsoseme. Vogt posted block rates of more than 10 percent in each of his two season with the Norse. To put that in perspective, Brooks led the team last season and he only reached 8.4 percent. Along with his ability to reject shots, Vogt has a proven ability to clean the glass, averaging 16.4 per 100 possessions and posting a total rebound rate of 16.6 percent. That includes solid work on the offensive end (12.4 percent rate), which should play well for a UC team that has proven to be effective in collecting its own misses.

Obviously, Vogt’s shot-blocking and rebounding talents are partially due to his stature, but he proved to be a solid defensive player when evaluating his entire game. He had a defensive rating of 92.9 this past season, which would have ranked third on the team for the Bearcats. Obviously that has to be taken with a large helping of salt since we’ve already established that Vogt was playing in a reserve role and against less taxing competition in the Horizon League.

In addition to his defense, Vogt presents some upside on offense. Even if his offensive rating sat right about average last season, he showed an ability to effectively put the ball in the basket, albeit with a largely limited range. He connected on 57.7 percent of his shots from the floor and produced 20.1 points per 100 possessions. In addition, he had a player efficiency rating of 17.3, which is in the same ballpark as UC’s Trevon Scott. There are still some glaring weaknesses to Vogt’s game, particularly with his free-throw shooting. He has made only 38.1 percent from the foul line in his career and that can’t be easily waved away since he has 84 career attempts.

Regardless of what strengths and weaknesses he may have as a player, Vogt should also benefit from some familiarity with Brannen and the rest of the coaching staff. The Bearcats will still need to find some solutions for the frontcourt next season, but Vogt should help turn the page once he becomes eligible.