Is Leon Rice The Greatest Boise State Basketball Coach In History?
Rice Finished Up Another Successful season
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Where Does Leon Rice Rank In Boise State History?
Boise State men’s basketball head coach Leon Rice finished his 13th season at the helm in Boise. Following a first-round exit to Northwestern in the NCAA Tournament, Boise State ended the 2022-2023 season with a 24-10 record.
This turned out to be another impressive season for Rice at Boise State. He earned his 10th season with 20 or more wins at Boise State. The last two seasons marked the first time Rice appeared in consecutive NCAA Tournaments. With a trip to the tournament this season, he recorded his fourth berth to the tournament as the Broncos head coach.
Rice, who became Boise State’s head coach in 2010, is the longest-tenured head coach in program history. He leads all Boise State coaches in wins, winning percentage, games coached, and tournament appearances.
In February 2021, Rice passed former Boise State head coach Bobby Dye as the all-time wins leader in program history. More than two seasons after he passed Dye, Rice has built a comfortable lead over his predecessors and future head coaches with 268 wins and counting.
If he can attain another 20-win season in 2024, Rice would be on pace to eclipse the 300-win mark before the end of the 2024-2025 regular season. With 300 wins at Boise State, Rice would be in a class all by himself.
Dye, Rod Jensen, and Greg Graham all had success with the Broncos. but Rice was able to win at a higher level than any other coach in program history.
When Rice took over as Boise State’s head coach, the Broncos were in their last season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. Boise State joined the Mountain West Conference in his second season as a head coach and he was successful in the two conferences.
Based off of his success, Rice will be remembered as the greatest coach Boise State has ever seen.
