The Cinderella Wildcats

It's the most wonderful time of the year, as far as I'm concerned.

You can always count on the middle of march sends people into a TV-watching, snack-frenzy.  What's great about March Madness is that everyone can get involved, not just avid basketball fans.  Anyone can appreciate a so-called 'Cinderella' team, an underdog who fights their way to improbable wins in the tournament.

This being the case, I thought it fitting to introduce you to Head Coach Randy Rahe and the Weber State Wildcats.  Never heard of them?

To fill you in, here's a few of the team's accomplishments, provided by the Salt Lake Tribune:

• They have won five Big Sky Conference championships — two regular season and three tournaments.

• They have won 65 percent of their games, including a 129-43 record in league play.

•  They make their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years Friday night against Xavier.

Rahe has been at Weber State for nearly a decade, and the success he has had there is undeniable.  But the most unique thing about Rahe isn't his success, it's his coaching style.  Instead of mainly going after the most talented guys, Rahe looks deeper than most coaches.

"We invest in them," he says of his players. "We tell them during recruiting, 'We're going to put our heart and soul into helping you become the best you can be. If you don't want to be the best you can be, don't come here. It won't work. But if you're willing to put in the time, we'll be there to help you. We'll give you the tools to do that.' "

Others may question Rahe's methods, but the results thus far are proven.  Weber State, a 15-seed in this year's NCAA tournament, will face a tough challenge in 2-seed Xavier, but don't be too quick to count the Wildcats out.  They may lack the skill, size, and speed of other teams in the tournament, but their unmatched work ethic makes them worthy of keeping an eye on.

Let the madness begin.