It is interesting that a man who has never judged the success of his basketball teams by the number of wins and losses should celebrate a milestone victory. But that's what happened last Saturday night at Geneva College's Metheny Field House in Beaver Falls.

Geneva's women's team defeated Notre Dame College, 70-60, and gave coach Ron Galbreath his 600th victory in the process.

Galbreath is in his fourth season as the women's coach at Geneva. He is better recognized in Western Pennsylvania as the long-time men's coach at Westminster College.

A native of Wampum, he will take a 600-304 record into tonight's home game at 5:30 against Point Park. There will be a pregame ceremony honoring Galbreath's accomplishment.

"I never set out as a player to be all-state and it happened to me at Wampum and we won a state title," Galbreath said. "When I went to Westminster [as a student] I never dream of being an All-American and we were the No. 1 [NAIA] team in the country and played for a national title.

"I never set out to win 100 or 200 games as a coach. For me, it has always been one game at a time."

Those one-at-a-time victories tend to add up in the course of 35 years.

Toss in the fact Galbreath has had just two losing seasons in that time and it's easy to understand how he reached this plateau.

Galbreath began his college coaching career at Geneva as an assistant under the legendary Cliff Aultman for two season before accepting the head coaching position at Westminster for the 1968-69 season.

"A lot of people don't know that Geneva gave me my start as a college coach, so this [coaching the women's team at the school] is sort of my way of giving back. Coming back here wasn't a hard decision for me to make."

After one season at Westminster, Galbreath took over as the men's coach at Clarion University. He returned to Westminster in 1974 and coached the Titans through 1998, compiling an impressive 448-206 record.

He resigned as Westminster's basketball coach in 1998 as the college moved from the NAIA to the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

"I get motion sickness and I knew the [road] trips to schools in Michigan would be tough on me," he said. "I resigned because of that and continued to teach at Westminster. Had I known the college would be in the conference for just two years, maybe I would have tried to stick it out. But I had no way of knowing that."

Geneva president Jack White, entered the picture in 2002. White and Galbreath used to play racquetball together when both were at Geneva in the mid 1960s.

Coach Jackie Myers had resigned to take a job in the south and Geneva was looking for someone to guide the women's team. White called his old friend.

"I told him 'no' and after the second time, I told my wife, Pat, that I didn't think I'd coach again ... that I'd closed the door," Galbreath said. "Then president White called again and I told her, 'Hey, this guy is serious,' and she said, 'If you want to do this, we can do it.'"

There has never been any doubts about Galbreath's coaching ability. He proved that his first season back at Geneva, guiding the Golden Tornadoes to a 17-13 record. Myers had gone 9-18 the previous year.

Going into tonight's game, Galbreath has a 77-50 record at Geneva. His team this season is 10-2 overall, 3-0 in the American Mideast Conference's North Division.

Obviously, it doesn't make much difference to Galbreath if he's calling defenses for young men or women.

"I'm using the same high-low and power offenses I've always used, and the man and zone defensive concepts haven't changed," he said.

Galbreath laughed when he said he has raised three daughters and because of that, knows how to deal with young women.

"The skill level and the strength is different," he said. "Guys you can challenge, while girls might shut down when you do that with them. But I've worked with girls at my [summer] camps for 20 years, so I wasn't worried."

Always a student of the game, Galbreath was fortunate to play for two legendary coaches. At Wampum High School, he was under the guidance of L. Butler Hennon. At Westminster, he played for Buzz Ridl, who later made a name for himself at Pitt.

Galbreath was then an assistant under Hennon for two seasons at Ellwood City High School. He said he learned a great deal from working with Aultman at Geneva.

In a twist, Geneva is leaving the NAIA ranks after this season and joining the Division III Presidents' Athletic Conference of which Westminster is a member. That means Galbreath will return to the Titans' campus in Lawrence County next season.

"We've scrimmaged them and played them once at Denison," he said. "It will be interesting to go back there and sit on the opposing bench, although I did that when I was an assistant here back in the '60s."

As for how long he will continue to coach, Galbreath, who will be 67 in August, said he doesn't have a timetable.

"A lot will depend on my health and on whether president White still wants me," he said. "I can't believe I get paid for doing something that I love. Is America a great country, or what?"