GROVE CITY - It passed without fanfare. No mid-court ceremony. No basketball presented with the No. 100 emblazoned on it.

Maybe it passed so quietly because it came on a night of so many milestones for the Grove City College men's basketball team. Maybe it passed because to coach Steve Lamie, it was just another win in a string of them.

Whatever the case, when Lamie notched his 100th career win against Thiel College, it was as celebrated as his other 99.

"Honestly, I ignored it," Lamie said. "I didn't pay any attention to it. I remember one of the parents, after we beat (Washington & Jefferson) saying to me, 'Hey, one more to go.' I didn't realize what he was talking about."

His 100th win came on a milestone-filled night against Thiel College Jan. 26.

Grove City was celebrating its 2,000th men's basketball game in school history. The win also was the Wolverines' 100th against the neighboring Tomcats.

Lamie's players were aware the milestone was coming, but they kept it hush-hush as well.

"That doesn't even surprise me that he didn't know," said fifth-year senior center Phil Bushre. "He's not much into milestones."

What Lamie is into is competing for Presidents' Athletic Conference titles on a yearly basis.

Now 101-75 in his seventh year as coach, the Wolverines are 12-9 overall, 5-2 in the PAC and are in striking distance of winning their third conference title since he took over for longtime coach John Barr in the summer of 1998.

The 1985 Grove City College graduate has done it with a chameleon-like offense that changes from year to year, based on his players and their talents. Defense is one thing that hasn't changed.

"We try to tailor the offense to the personnel," Lamie said. "This year, we have a more mature team. There are more options in the offense. When you have a younger team, it limits your options.

"Defensively, though, I haven't changed."

Grove City finished in the top 10 in team defense in Division III his first five years as coach. During his first season, the team led the nation in scoring defense.

"The first year, we were limited, talent-wise," Lamie said. "We were very deliberate. It was like going to the dentist's office every game."

Lamie remembers that team with the most fondness, not only because it was his first, but also because it won the PAC despite its limitations.

"As a first-year coach, you wonder if your philosophy is right," Lamie said.

He wondered no more after that.

Lamie also has maintained his program through recruiting - a tricky proposition in Division III and even more difficult given Grove City's tough academic standards and commitment to Christian principles.

"We have a pool of kids we go after," Lamie said. "We're not a secular university, so it makes it tough, but on the plus side, it attracts a certain clientele."

Through questionnaires and contacts with high school basketball coaches all over the state, it doesn't take long for Lamie and his staff to zero in on players who fit the Grove City mold.

Lamie said he can tell during the first contact with a potential recruit whether or not a player will fit in at Grove City or would want to come to the school.

"We're definitely a niche school," Lamie said. "What we try to sell is what the program stands for and the philosophy of doing things a certain way - and we're selling the great academics."

The sales pitch has been well received. Lamie has recruited two players who have cracked 1,000 points. Tanner Prosser scored 1,263 points from 1999-2004 and senior Ryan Eller recently reached the milestone.

"I honest to God believe if you don't have the players, it doesn't matter," Lamie said.

Lamie has a built-in sounding board at home in wife, Melissa, who is the women's basketball coach at Grove City.

The couple is the only one in the nation to hold both the men's and women's basketball coaching jobs at the same college.

The Lamies discuss their games and some strategy, but mostly leave it on the court and away from the dinner table. The two have a daughter, Melia.

The couple's coaching styles couldn't be more different, though.

"I'm a type A personality," Steve Lamie said. "She's a type B. That's probably why we love each other."