Weber State's Banner Year

Roy Burton for The Standard wrote a nice article on the banner year for Weber State... not just 30 wins, but great attendance as well.

Average attendance is up dramatically, from 3,577 per game in 2007-08, the last time the Wildcats didn’t lead the Big Sky in attendance, to 6,601 this year.

“It’s an exciting brand of basketball to watch, and we’ve gotten more athletic over the years, so I think that’s all at the forefront,” WSU athletics director Jerry Bovee said of the increased attendance.

“I also think we’ve worked hard as a staff from a marketing standpoint to create more of an environment of entertainment. ... But through it all, that’s not enough to sustain the growth, I don’t believe — it comes down to consistency of play. Those other things just add to it.”

It has been a great run for the Wildcats (other than the lack of NCAA Tournament appearances), and they don't really show signs of slowing down. I haven't heard much in the way of rumors of Randy Rahe for other jobs, which would be good for Weber State. They should be the most talented team in the Big Sky next season.

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Nice Article on Randy Rahe

The Deseret News wrote up a nice article on Weber State coach Randy Rahe, a coach you don't always hear about it, but is quietly becoming an extremely accomplished coach.

Nestled in the 2006 hiring class is Weber State coach Randy Rahe. During his time in Ogden, he's accumulated the second-highest winning percentage (66 percent), the third most wins (139) and his 88-24 Big Sky record is the highest conference winning percentage (79 percent) among all 46 coaches.

Weber State is a good gig with some nice advantages, but Rahe has had a lot of success doing things his way:

He began constructing a successful framework in recruiting. Rahe's vision prioritized morally sound character, emphasizing education, and reflected his hard-working, passionate mentality. The prototype has produced 18 all-conference players and 19 all-academic members, and in 2012, Weber State earned a perfect score of 1,000 in the NCAA APR (Academic Progress Rate).

Well done Coach Rahe and Weber State.

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Randy Rahe at Coaching Clinic in Florida

From Andy Katz:

Wyoming head coach and former Florida assistant coach Larry Shyatt has been organizing a coaching clinic for fellow colleagues the past 29 years, with this year's event the ninth straight in Gainesville. The clinic has been a major hit for coaches in their professional growth. NBA and college coaches get together to discuss their own specialties. The roster of coaches that were attendance this week from college basketball reached all levels with Shyatt, Florida’s Billy Donovan, Purdue’s Matt Painter, Pitt’s Jamie Dixon, San Diego’s Bill Grier, UTEP’s Tim Floyd, UNC-Wilmington’s Buzz Peterson, Wofford’s Mike Young, UCF’s Donnie Jones, Bucknell’s Dave Paulsen and Weber State’s Randy Rahe highlighting the list of head college coaches. Shyatt, Dixon and Grier said they were enriched by the clinic and it aided in their professional development.

I love hearing about coaches going to things like this, because it shows they are really serious about becoming better coaches. Hopefully it will help Rahe come back and become even an even better coach than he already is.

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Big Sky Coaches Could be Candidates for Colorado State Job?

As you know by now, Colorado State coach Tim Miles has become the head coach at Nebraska. Miles had a great run at Colorado State, and I think he will be a big success with the Cornhuskers (but as they say, that's another story for another time). He also left behind a very full cupboard for the Rams, and a new coach that will have a chance to step up and compete for a conference title.

Could that new coach come from the Big Sky? Maybe. Certainly the frontrunners are guys already in the program, but Randy Rahe and Wayne Tinkle could get at least a look.

The Coloradoan has already suggested that Rahe may be a candidate.

Other possible candidates might include Mike Dunlap, an assistant at St. John's who led Metro State of Denver to Division II national titles in 2000 and 2002; Weber State coach Randy Rahe, a former CSU assistant; Indiana assistant Steve McClain, a former Wyoming coach; Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton; or Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Rob Jeter. Sutton and Jeter reportedly were on Nebraska's list of potential candidates.

For Rahe, it would be easy to see why he would be interested in the job. His best player is likely gone (as are two other starters), and even though WSU will be very talented next year, he saw this year how hard it can be to make the Big Dance out of the Big Sky. A move to Colorado State could potentially double his pay, and as mentioned, the CSU job looks very enticing.

For Wayne Tinkle, a match could make sense, at least on paper. Tinkle has to be one of the short list for most openings out west, as he has a strong track record (two tourneys in three years, including a 15-1 conference mark this year), and he is a relatively young 46 years old. He can coach (especially defense), and he has recruited a lot of nice talent to Missoula. It wouldn't be difficult to see CSU show some interest.

At the end of the day, as said, these guys aren't the favorites for the Colorado State job. But one of these days, they are likely to get scooped up by a bigger program in a bigger conference. Tinkle interviewed for the Fresno State job last year, and after both coaches had good years, those types of schools could come calling once again.

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Weber State Getting Some Scout Team Help

From Roy Burton at The Standard:

Weber State basketball coach Randy Rahe invited Jankowski, a former roommate of senior forward Kyle Bullinger and graduated center Trevor Morris, to help out with the scout squad.

"Coach Rahe actually came up to me one day and I thought he was joking. He said, 'Do you want to play some scout team?' I just kind of laughed; I was like, yeah, sure. He said, 'No, I'm serious." That's a big opportunity in my eyes. A Division I basketball team, to play for a coach like that, this program."

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Kyndahl Hill Commits to Weber State

In their second signing of the recruiting period, the Wildcats have snared forward Kyndahl Hill:

So today yo boy commited to weber st

In case you don't know about Hill, he is a 6'7'' forward that can play either the 3 or the 4, but seems likely to spend most of his time at the 3 spot for the Wildcats, according to what I have read.

The consensus seems to be that Hill is a high major athlete that has mid-major skills right now. He was a big time football recruit, but recently decided to focus on basketball only. He averaged 13 PPG and 8 RPG per game.

He has the potential to be an elite defender in the Big Sky with his athleticism and versatility. I think he will eventually be able to guard anywhere from a 1 to a 4, he has that type of speed and strength. He has a developing 3 point shot also, and that will be key to his development.

Teamed with fellow recruit Joel Bolomboy, and all of a sudden Weber State will have two of the more athletic players in the Big Sky. When you combine those with the fact that Josh Fuller will be joining the team following his mission, Weber State shouldn't miss too much of a beat even after Kyle Bullinger and Darin Mahoney leave.

Hill's decision was down to Weber State and Utah State... his choice of Weber further signifies their rise in Utah. I think there is a solid chance they can be the best team in the state next season, and that will only continue to help their recruiting efforts. Randy Rahe has done an excellent job.

An Early Look at Weber State's Schedule

A few teams have released their schedule for the 2011-2012 schedule, with Weber State being one of those teams. As they are the early favorite in the Big Sky, let's take a look at some of the notable games.

From head coach Randy Rahe:

"Once again we have a very difficult and challenging schedule this year," said WSU head coach Randy Rahe who will enter his sixth season with the Wildcats this fall. "We are always looking to play as tough a schedule as we can and this year is no exception. We have a great opportunity to play several teams from Utah which is always a difficult test. Our preseason schedule always prepares us for the Big Sky schedule and the Big Sky, just like in other years, will be very difficult this season."

Their first test of the season will come against Utah St at home, which should be an extremely intriguing matchup. The Aggies obviously had a huge year last season, winning 30 games before bowing out in the NCAA Tournament, but they lose all-everything Taj Wesley. The Aggies have traditionally had a weak schedule, but they have beefed it up this year, and Weber St. will be a big part of that.

The early to mid part of December brings two very good road games which will be a great test for the the Wildcats. First is a game at California on December 7, who should be a fringe Tourney team out of the Pac-12 (led by Jorge Gutierrez, who I think we will all get to know better this year). Then, on December 16 they head to Provo to take on BYU. BYU obviously loses Jimmer, but they will have plenty of firepower to make it an interesting game.

Other non-conference games of note include the St. Mary's Classic in Moraga, CA at the end of November. They also have home slates against future Big Sky member Southern Utah on December 10, and against Utah (coached by former Montana head man Larry Krystowiak) on December 22. Finally, they will get a chance near the end of the year with a home Bracket Busters game on February 18.

Weber State believes itself to be the best team in Utah, and they will have a chance to prove it this season. With a home game against Utah St and Utah, and a road game against BYU, they will have perhaps the most intriguing non-conference schedule in the Big Sky.