With two five-win seasons to begin her career as a collegiate head coach, Mona Martin never dreamed that one day she would own the school record for victories.

  But Martin had a history of evolving and succeeding. 

  She never played the modern version of women's basketball, yet started a program at her first high school job.  Since then, Martin has won more than 600 games at the prep and college level - including 200-plus the past 15 years at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

  "We go 5-21 my first two years," Martin said. "It was like the most miserable time you can imagine. But that second year, I could see light at the end of the tunnel. I felt like eventually we were going to be pretty special."

  Martin's third team turned it around and went 19-9, beginning a trend of competitive campaigns for the coach. She hit a major milestone during the 2009-10 season as she won her 214th game to move past Linda Harper for most victories as ULM's women's basketball coach.

   "I've had the chance to coach some awesome young ladies," Martin said. "It's unbelievable how far the game has come in 34 years."

  Entering this season, Martin had coached 18 individuals who were named to all-conference teams. Most recently, Lottie Moore was named to the all-Sun Belt Conference third team.

  Through her long association with the school, Martin has become one of the athletic department's best ambassadors. Personable and approachable, she's popular among the fan base too. 

 "I feel like we've been pretty successful," Martin said. "We've had some tough years and some really good years.  I feel like the university has done a really great job supporting us. That's very important to me. We'll continue to get it done."

   ULM, known as Northeast Louisiana University when Martin arrived in 1995, competed in the Southland Conference until joining the Sun Belt in 2006.

  "I believe Coach Martin has done an admirable job transitioning the program to the very tough Sun Belt Conference," ULM athletics director Bobby Staub said. "She does a good job both on and off the court. Her teams are always prepared and play hard. They also excel in the classroom and the community. That's a testament to her leadership."

  Competition from the Sun Belt has been another stage in her growth as a coach, Martin said.

   "The Sun Belt has been unbelievable," Martin said. "The teams are very, very strong. We've got top 25 teams every year."

  After 34 years in the game, Martin continues to face the changes.

  "I like to have something to fight for," Martin said. "I felt like we have a chance to be pretty good. It felt like this would be a good challenge for me. This is my 34th in the game and it's getting tougher and tougher. Women are getting so good. It's been tough, especially this year because we've been plagued by injuries.

  "It's been a tough year. You want to have great years near the end. Not years like this one." 

  Martin can summon her history when she faces difficult runs. She took a non-conventional path to her profession and grew up within the game as it exists today.

  After competing in six-man basketball in high school, Martin attended Northwestern State on a badminton scholarship.  Upon graduation from Northwestern, Martin earned her first job at Natchitoches Central High School in 1976. The school was set to begin its first season of girls basketball and needed someone to launch the program.

  "They asked me if I was interested and I felt like I didn't know enough to do it," Martin said. "But I found out that a football coach was going to take over and just do it in his off time. I knew I could do it better than that."

  Despite her limited knowledge of basketball at that time, Martin accepted the challenge. Martin read every book available and watched instructional videos. She attended all of the clinics that she could to learn the fine points of basketball. She also enlisted college coaches to come in to assist her, something that was within the rules of the day.

    "I tried to learn from everything from everybody I could," she said.

  Along the way, she got it.  So did her teams.

  From those humble beginnings, Martin built a consistent winner.  She stayed 11 years at Natchitoches, where her teams were 266-91 with three state championships, four trips to the state tournament and 10 playoff appearances. 

  Her 1986 team went 36-0, won the state title and finished the season ranked No. 8 in the nation. Martin was even voted National Coach of the Year.

  Martin kept climbing in the profession. She spent two seasons as an assistant at Northwestern State, where the team and earned their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

  Louisiana high school football coaching legend Don Shows, who knew Martin from Northwestern, lured her to West Monroe. The Lady Rebels enjoyed six straight playoff appearances and won three district titles. Her 1994 team reached the state championship game. 

  "I can remember when I first started, I would have never run players or lifted weights like we do today," Martin said. "Even how we practice is so different. We didn't push them like we do. We didn't know that girls could do the things they do today."

  Martin's prep resume earned her the ULM job, a relationship that has been fruitful for both sides.

  In recent years at ULM, Martin's teams became known for their hustle and defensive tenacity.

  "We like to play like that," Martin said. "I've tried to find more players who fit into what we do. It's fun because we can play a lot of kids and keep a lot of people happy. I feel like it's something that makes fans want to come back and see you play."

   Four seasons in the Sun Belt have heightened her respect for the conference.

  "It helps as far as recruiting," Martin said. "The Sun Belt is a great conference for women's basketball. We talk about that and the TV games. We talk about the opportunities to travel, to go to Denver and Miami. It has helped us in recruiting."

  Martin views the Sun Belt's neutral site tournament as another evolution in her sport.

  "I think that's awesome for our conference," Martin said. "I think it will help us get more fan support. It gives everyone an opportunity."

  As she moves closer to the end of her career, Martin's legacy at ULM is clear.

  "The integrity of the game is what's important to me," said Martin, noting the emphasis on graduating her players. "I want to leave this game with people saying, 'she did it the right way. She did it with a lot of integrity.'"