The Legacy of Women's Basketball Celebrated in Award-Winning Film

The inspiring story of the Lady Griz basketball team and their legendary coach, Robin Selvig, is set to captivate audiences nationwide when this Emmy Award-winning documentary, Playing Like a Girl: The House That Rob Built, airs on PBS affiliates starting November 1st.

Directed by former Lady Griz player Megan Harrington, the film chronicles the rise of the University of Montana’s women’s basketball team. Despite facing numerous challenges, Selvig’s dedication transformed the Lady Griz into a powerhouse, making the university one of the toughest places to play women’s college basketball.

Selvig, who turned down lucrative offers to stay with the Lady Griz, ended his career with an impressive 865 wins. His commitment to equality in sports has left an indelible mark on women’s basketball. “Coach Selvig spent his career ensuring women had the same opportunities as men to participate and benefit from playing the game,” said Reverend David L. Guffey, C.S.C, executive producer and national director of Family Theater Productions.

The documentary highlights how Selvig built a “house” of inclusion and empowerment by recruiting female athletes from the ranches, farms, small towns, and sprawling Native reservations of picturesque Big Sky Country. 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. His inclusive, barrier-breaking philosophy was new for its time: he expected the women to play just as hard as 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.

The film is produced by Family Theater Productions, known for their award-winning media that engages families with heartwarming stories. Megan Harrington, the director, is an Emmy, Gabriel, and Christopher Award-winning filmmaker and Senior Producer at Family Theater Productions. Her passion is telling inspiring true stories that showcase the true, good, and beautiful.

To watch the trailer and for more info, visit https://www.thehousethatrobbui...