Nate Rohnert’s inspiration hovers over his heart in a pigment made permanent for several reasons.
Tattooed to Rohnert’s chest are the initials and dates marking the lifespan of his father, Mark, who died of lung cancer when Rohnert was 12.
Mark, as Nate recalls, taught his son everything when it came to life and basketball.
“Everything I do, I do for him,” said Nate Rohnert, a 6-foot-5 senior shooting guard at Chaparral High School in Parker. “I know he would be proud of me in everything I do for college, academically and on the court.”
Considered one of the top recruits in the state, Rohnert will play next season at Yale after scoring more than 16 points a game last season to lead the Wolverines to the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament.
To Rohnert, life and basketball are inseparable.
A four-year starter, Rohnert behaves with grounded confidence. He speaks with honesty about his abilities, and with sincerity and respect when discussing his mother, Cheryl, who “does everything” for him – from cooking to working long hours.
Tough, driven and smart, he shows up before school or stays late after practice to fulfill his self-appointed quota of 500 jump shots a day. During a game, Rohnert’s ability to work the perimeter, drive to the hoop and post up down low makes him one of the state’s most versatile players.
“Basketball means everything to him,” ThunderRidge coach Joe Ortiz said of Rohnert, whom he coached during the summer with the Colorado Select team. “He’s the kind of kid that takes a basketball with him everywhere he goes.
“His heart and soul are poured out every time he plays,” Ortiz added.
To Chaparral coach Jason Jacob, Rohnert is the face of a young program desperate to prove its mettle. What began two years ago with standout guard Brian Brown (now at the University of Denver), Jacob hopes will reach a new level behind Rohnert’s tenacity.
“He’s tough,” Jacob says of Rohnert. “His toughness is his best attribute.”
And it’s contagious.
The sixth-ranked Wolverines open their season Friday at George Washington after Wednesday’s game against defending 4A champion Thomas Jefferson was moved to January.
In terms of wins, the Wolverines have improved annually. Three years after finishing 5-15, Chaparral went 17-8 last season and was ousted 68-53 in the John Casey Region final by perennial favorite East.
That loss sticks out in Rohnert’s mind as a reminder of how far the program has come and where it needs to go again this season.
“That was a fun ride going all the way up to (Denver) Coliseum,” Rohnert said. “East won because they had good senior leadership. They knew how to win. I think we learned a lot from that loss.”
Now the Wolverines are loaded with seniors, and Rohnert, who averaged nearly six assists a game last season, is their unquestionable leader.
“With Nate, we get the feeling we can’t be stopped,” Chaparral senior Erich Bracht said. “We know it is a lot of pressure, but we’re hoping we can rise to the challenge.”
Bracht, at 6-6, along with 6-9 John Madsen, gives the Wolverines a team with good size that can run the floor and should be improved in its half-court set. Inspired by Rohnert’s versatility, Jacob has all of his players learn every position.
“Every year we get better and more experienced,” Rohnert said. “Last year, we were getting better, but this year I think we’re ready to take on everything.”
