The boys at Pinnacle High School run through an afternoon practice like a well-oiled machine. The Pioneers are a nice mixture of veterans and youth. It's a team unlike the one that reached last season's state semifinals.

"We have two sophomores, some juniors, and five seniors, but they’re from all over,” said Pinnacle High School coach Charlie Wilde. “But the chemistry they have so early in the season is amazing. They share the ball, they hit the open man. We may be a better shooting team than last year just because we move the ball, share the ball better."

One of Wilde's five seniors is Taylor Rohde. He averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds per game during his junior year, and is the Pioneers' main dog.

"He can score in many ways,” Wilde said. “He has great footwork, great post moves, so he can score down low, he can shoot from 3-point range. He has great footwork to get a mid-range shot and get the basket off the dribble, so he can score in many ways.”

“Energy, intensity, he's always into the game,” said Pinnacle teammate Michael Chou. “He's always giving his best in practice and everything.”

Rohde was named first-team all-state in both his sophomore and junior campaigns. He signed with Arizona Sate University this past November, but committed to the Sun Devils in his sophomore year. The early commitment has helped him to get acclimated with the ASU program.

“I've been to a lot of the practices and see how they practice,” Rohde said. “And then they told me what they want me to work on to fit into their program right when I get there.”

“His plan was to stay close to home, play for ASU and be part of that great new program they started down there,” Wilde said.