'One of The Best': Boise State Coach Ranked Top 25 in America

It was an exciting week for Boise State athletics-- with wins all around.

On the football field, the Boise State football team was able to land a victory against an undefeated Mountain West Conference foe UNLV-- you may recall, the last time the UNLV Rebels were in town, we ripped down our own field goal posts!

On the basketball court--Boise State kicked off their season, with an exhibition game that felt rather special: the return of a rivalry against the University of Idaho! Despite it being a (surprising) struggle--the Broncos won.

The basketball team, led by Leon Rice, had a little extra glow this week. While the Broncos aren't ranked in the Top 25, Leon Rice is indeed ranked!

Take a look at Boise State's beloved Leon Rice!

Boise State's Most Underappreciated Star

Boise State seems to mean "football" for most, right? On a national stage, after all, it's the blue turf and the success that the Broncos have had on it that made the university a household name. What happens on the hardwood, however, is far from appreciated at the level that it should be. Leon Rice came to Boise State as a blessing from one of the most powerful basketball programs in the nation: Gonzaga University. Now, the winningest basketball coach in the history of the school seems to take immediate heat if the Broncos aren't in the Final Four. Spoiled by wins on the football field, fans seem to expect the same of the basketball program but when the investment in basketball is so much less than football--can you really have these types of expectations!?

Gallery Credit: Credit: Mateo, 103.5 KISS FM

There are few coaches in America that can be as animated -- especially towards the officials -- than Leon Rice!

KenPom, a popular basketball data and rankings platform, released pre-season rankings for the basketball season--and will continue to rank teams all season long.

A poll that they released ahead of this basketball season, however, was a little different. This one ranked the Top 25 coaches in the country!

Coming in at #21? Boise's own Leon Rice. He's surrounded by some of the best names in the sport, which is impressive! Ranked 8th? Gonzaga's Mark Few--who Rice was formerly an assistant under.

The Boise State basketball team is going into their last season in the Mountain West, which traditionally has been a very strong basketball conference. Could they get back in to the big dance this March one last time as a Mountain West school? We'll soon see!