Robin Selvig’s heart, sense of humor leave impression on his players

by bill speltz     
photos by josh parker and tom bauer

There’s a photo floating around on Facebook of Robin Selvig lying horizontally in the arms of his former players, grinning from ear-to-ear.

Taken this summer during a Montana Lady Griz reunion weekend, it’s worth a thousand words. It speaks of the special bond between Selvig and his Lady Griz and the fun-loving nature of the University of Montana’s 34-year basketball coach.

“There was some yard darts played that weekend but no basketball,” joked Selvig about his ex-hoopster houseguests. “Everybody can talk a good story now, but they don’t want to have to prove it.”

Of all his endearing qualities – loyalty, dedication, drive, humility – Selvig’s fun-loving, self-effacing sense of humor may be the most underrated. You’re not going to see it late in the second half of a game against Montana State. But it’s there in plain sight most of the time and Robin considers it to be important as a leader.

Truth is there are dozens of amusing Selvig stories in circulation that help make the colorful coach endearing to the masses. Take, for example, a recent happenstance when Robin’s wife, Janie, was out of town and he was hungry for supper.

“I called down there to Rattlesnake Gardens, they have real good food and I wanted something with chicken so I ordered a pot pie,” he recalled. “Well you know it looked a little different, not like what I had in mind. It turned out to be Pad Thai or something like that.

“I’m not that adventurous usually when it comes to food, but I expanded my horizons there. I tell them what I thought it was and they just laugh.”

Selvig’s adaptability serves him well at meal time and game time. He seems to have a sixth sense about what works, given the personnel at his disposal.

“Each year is exciting because you always have new kids and things like that,” he related. “It’s a fun time in that regard.”

He may not always get the top-level recruits every coach covets. But Selvig and his staff know a thing or two about identifying character, which can compensate for perceived shortcomings.

“We don’t recruit to a certain style here because I don’t think we’re able to do that,” he said. “We want to get good basketball players, good kids and good students.

“It’s an ongoing, all-year-long process. The main reason we’ve been successful here is we’ve had good players. They’ve been good people, too. That’s a neat thing.”

Last winter’s inspiring finish by the Lady Griz, nearly knocking off UCLA in the NCAA tournament, was a nice shot in the arm for Selvig’s program. He’s hoping to carry the momentum over to this winter.

“It’s not that we were great every night,” he said of his 2010-11 squad. “But the way the year went, they were always fun to be around. They always wanted to play hard and get better. They never came moping into practice. They always thought they were going to do great and they did.

“It was a thrilling end to a season. And also a motivating thing for the players and the coaches. A great experience for them to have that helped us get excited for this season.”

When the subject turns to Selvig’s personal achievements, the coach gets a little quiet. He was as uncomfortable as a man in a rented suit when he stood in front of a Lady Griz crowd in December of 2008 to accept a shower of adulation for winning his 700th game.

As he closes in on No. 800, he’s not any more comfortable with praise. Nor is he interested in discussing what many feel is a deserved spot in the Naismith Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Stanford women’s coach Tara VanDerveer.

“Really I don’t have any thoughts on it,” he said. “It’s not the kind of thing I concern myself thinking about. Seriously it’s just not.

“Those things are all irrelevant to what I’m doing. I don’t actually like thinking about myself in that kind of context. I’ve got a good group of girls to coach here.

Whatever others think is kind of irrelevant to that.”

While on the subject, Selvig makes a point to acknowledge what he believes is the main reason for his coaching longevity and success.

“I really believe it’s important in our program the ladies know they are the team,” he asserted. “This is about what they’re doing.

“And I’ve got a great group of assistants. We’ve all been together a long time. We’re all part of that. But the team has ownership of the team. It’s not about what Robin Selvig has done. It’s about what the Lady Griz have done.”

Many of Selvig’s former players stay connected with him, his assistants and his program. That’s a testament to how much it means being a Lady Griz.

“We share a united bond in that a lot of our memories are centered around the coaches and the Lady Griz traditions they created or started, winning of course being the core,” former player Krista (Redpath) Pyron said. “Rob knows how to win and he surrounds himself with people that feel the same way.

“I always say that Rob started as my coach and mentor. Now he still is that mentor but also my friend. Continuing to give back and nurture our program will always be a priority for me.”

For Lady Griz longtime assistant coach and former player Annette Rocheleau, it all starts with Selvig’s human qualities.

“Robin has a heart the size of the world,” she said. “He respects everyone who plays for him, through their good, bad, whatever. I think they love that.

“There’s been so many good athletes and dedicated players, and deep down they appreciate the way he’s dedicated, putting everything he has into it.”

The fact Selvig’s ex-players enjoy one another’s company is heartwarming for their old coach. Selvig took particular note of their camaraderie in the reunion this past summer.

“Some of the older Lady Griz that were back from the early days, they don’t know the new kids or anything,” he said. “But it was like, ‘Oh man those are neat kids. It was fun to get to know them.’ ”

“Same thing for the new Lady Griz, the ones that just graduated,” he added, noting that the reunion wasn’t open to current players. “They got to meet and feel a little bit of the history and pride the older kids had.”

Selvig would rather not spend too much time thinking about the past. Maybe that’s why he’s been so good for so long. In his mind, his Lady Griz are only as good as their last game.

Besides, it’s more fun looking forward in anticipation. Selvig’s troops have a conference championship to chase, and that’s taking up all his energy these days.

“I see everybody being a good team,” said the coach, showing his usual respect for league challengers. “The last two years have been just a battle for positioning and I see it this year.

“Nobody going in has a big leg up on anybody else. It makes it interesting, makes it fun for everybody following. I think we’ve got a chance to have a good team and

I see no reason to think everybody else in the league is not thinking the same thing.”

Even for the casual observer, it’s not hard to pick up on two of Selvig’s rules to live by: Never take yourself too seriously or an opponent too lightly.

Bill Speltz is a sportswriter for the Missoulian. He can be reached at (406) 523-5255 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .