Underfunded and sidelined by men’s athletics, the Lady Griz bloomed under the fresh Title IX regulations that brought equal funding, scholarships and facilities to women’s collegiate sports. Selvig’s hard-driving style took the team from humble roots, playing before empty stands, and built them into the preeminent women’s basketball program west of the Rockies.
Coach Selvig’s pioneering approach recruited young women not only from the small towns and one-room schoolhouses of Big Sky Country’s ranching and farming communities, but also the sprawling Native reservations across the state. He drilled his young charges in the fundamentals, with an inclusive, barrier-breaking philosophy new for its time: he expected them to play just as hard as the men. Flanked and empowered by his female assistant coaches, drawn from the ranks of his former players, Selvig created a home -- a family -- leading generations of athletes to conference championships and NCAA appearances.
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