An improbable rise to college basketball stardom has some University of Wisconsin Badgers fans cheering on some East Coast Rams in the NCAA tournament.

Those aforementioned Rams are from Virginia Commonwealth University, and the school is heading to the Final Four in Houston under the leadership of coach Shaka Smart. Smart is a 1995 graduate of Oregon High School.

From the driveways of Fitchburg -- where Smart lived growing up -- all the way to college basketball's biggest stage, those who knew him said they had a feeling the young man was destined to realize big dreams.

Along the quiet driveways of Fitchburg's Maple Avenue, sounds of the old days are starting to swell with pride.

"Well, anytime you're in your house, you'd know when Shaka was outside because you would hear a basketball dribbling," said childhood friend Dave Zuehlke. "Anytime he was walking around doing anything, he was dribbling a basketball up and down the street."

Zuehlke said VCU's head coach always possessed a special kind of drive.

"It's great to have someone to cheer for like that," said Zuehlke. "Shaka's a guy that's really put in a lot of hard work and it's nice to see him succeed like that."

"Used to be he played basketball on our driveway, yup!" said a laughing Marilyn Hermanson. She and her husband Gary said Smart's knack for sports strategy started early.

"When they would be on the soccer field for instance, he would not only play the game but he was always thinking about how to coach the game," said Gary Hermanson. "So it didn't surprise us that he turned out to be a coach."

As a new generation of driveway superstars emerge, residents also said it's nice to celebrate an old friend's new success.

"Any team that's coached by Shaka, everything he does, he's going to succeed at," said Zuehlke.

Smart and the No. 11 VCU Rams take on the No. 8 Butler Bulldogs this Saturday night.