A picture of John Wooden hangs in Sheila Green Gerding's office at the Minot State University Dome.
To Green Gerding, this photo doesn't just symbolize Wooden's 664 wins and 10 NCAA national championships. It reminds her of the advice the legendary coach gave her on how to treat players.
"John Wooden always says that some kids need a pat a little higher and a little softer, and some a little lower and a little harder," said Green Gerding, the 41-year-old coach of the MSU women's basketball team. "It's not fair to treat them all the same and I always remember him telling me that. I think that that's really important to know that you gotta find with each one what their trigger is.
Green Gerding passed the 300-win mark at MSU with two home wins last weekend. She now has 301 of the 500 total wins in the 35-year history of the program.
And she's a different person and coach than when she took over at MSU 17 years ago.
"There was a girl at (MSU's loss at Northern State Tuesday) that played on those first three teams and she didn't know there was a human side to me," Green Gerding said.
Once consumed almost entirely by basketball, Green Gerding now balances her coaching duties with parenting three children - 13 year-old son Riley, and daughters Makya, 5, and Kaimbree, 3.
"I think I'm as passionate about (basketball)," Green Gerding said. "I don't know that I'm as obsessed with it, I think, partly because of time. I don't have time to think about it 24/7. My children at home don't allow it."
Despite her broadened perspective, some losses still sting the coach. Tears welled in Green Gerding's eyes as she recalled the 2008 postseason, when the Beavers were one of the last teams to secure an at-large bid into the NAIA Division II tournament and made a deep run. With a trip to the Final Four on the line, an MSU player made what appeared to be a game-winning shot at the buzzer - only to have it waved off upon the referees' review.
"It was like the highest moment, I think as a coach and probably for the players, and then it was the lowest moment," Green Gerding said. "And I cry every time I watch the film."
Green Gerding has the reputation of a fiery and intense coach. MSU athletic director Rick Hedberg said her soft side is sometimes ignored.
"I don't think a lot of people see the little things she does for her gals," Hedberg said. "One of her gals has a birthday, she's there singing 'Happy Birthday' and having a birthday-cake deal."
Said junior guard Lauren Safranski: "In the heat of the moment, (she) can be intense, but definitely she cares a lot about her players on and off the court. (She's) really encouraging at times when she can tell during games someone's down on herself, trying to make sure that she tells them things to help them keep their head up."
Green Gerding said she enjoys the outdoors - she and her husband, David Gerding, had fishing dates early in their courtship - and likes to spend summer days at Strawberry Lake south of Velva.
"He's the reason I'm able to continue coaching," Green Gerding said of David.
She also credited her 301 wins to having great players and great assistants over the years, as well as longevity.
Green Gerding came close to leaving once for Montana State University-Northern, where she still holds the all-time record with 1,566 career points.
But she said she is content at MSU.
"What's kept me here is, honestly, just the people. I think Minot State's a great place to recruit to, I think it's a great city and I think we get great support for our women's basketball program. It's not like that elsewhere. (I've had) different opportunities to look elsewhere - the grass isn't always greener. I've found this is a really great place to be."
