Tucked away in the city of Aberdeen, South Dakota, is one of the best kept secrets in NCAA basketball.

The city of 25,000, which is located in the northeast section of the state, may conjure more images of cold weather than hot basketball, but the men’s and women’s teams at Northern State University have been a hoops hotbed for years.

Both programs certainly are familiar clicking turnstiles on game nights. Northern State’s men’s program led Division II in average attendance (3,916) for the 2005-06 season, and the women drew 2,728 fans per game, about 400 more on average than last year’s second-ranked totals.

Perhaps what makes the basketball circumstances at Northern State so unique are the two head coaches. Don Meyer (men’s) and Curt Fredrickson (women’s) have churned consistent success over sustained periods. Heading into the 2006-07 season, Meyer and Fredrickson have the most combined wins (1,453) for active men’s and women’s basketball coaches at the same institution.

Success breeds success at Northern State.

In 34 years of coaching men’s basketball — the last seven of which have come at Northern State — Meyer has walked off the court a winner 841 times. Fredrickson, an Aberdeen native and 1974 graduate of Northern State, has coached the women’s program since 1977 and has recorded 612 victories at his alma mater.

"Both teams get along extremely well," said Fredrickson, who also coaches the baseball team. "Both coaches get along well, too. We know how good our men’s team is, and the bar is set high. It’s a challenge for our women’s team to meet those expectations. It really isn’t a competition, but a challenge to do well."

The two coaches had never crossed paths until Meyer was hired at Northern State before the 1999-00 season after spending 24 seasons coaching at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. But Fredrickson and Meyer have become well acquainted since, especially because both teams bus to most of the road games together.

Indeed, the duo has crossed a lot of pavement on the northern plains. The longest road trip is eight hours by bus and the shorter trips are at least three. That leaves plenty of time to discuss strategy, among other things.

"We probably talk baseball more than we talk basketball," Meyer said. "(Fredrickson) is a baseball guy, and I played a little bit, too."

When the women tip off the first game of a doubleheader on the road, the men’s players are in the stands cheering them on. At halftime, the men head to their locker room to prepare for their game, and usually they see only the closing minutes of the women’s game.

But those are the times Meyer says Fredrickson is at his best.

"What he’s good at are the end-of-the-game situations," Meyer said. "When we are waiting to take the floor, that’s the time I can watch. That’s good for us to watch, because our women’s team is so good in those situations."

After their game is finished, the Northern State women’s players reciprocate by rooting for the men in hopes of making hostile gymnasiums a little friendlier for the Wolves.

"Our players are the men’s biggest cheerleaders," Fredrickson said. "It makes a big difference when they are supporting each other. The players on both teams get to know each other well during their careers. We’ve even had some weddings between men’s and women’s players after they get done with their playing careers."

Meyer said the enthusiasm spreads through the rest of the athletics department, too.

"At our school, all the athletes support their peers," he said. "They dress up to whatever the theme is for that night. They will be in Superman capes, or referee shirts. They have a lot of fun for all the sports. Our athletes are great that way."

Through the years, Northern State fans are used to seeing the wins accumulate for both coaches.

The men went 27-6 this season and advanced to the regional finals of the NCAA tournament before falling to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival and eventual national champion Winona State University. Fredrickson’s squad was 25-7 and also played in the North Central regional of the Division II NCAA tournament.

But there are differences in the way the two teams accomplished their successful seasons.

The women play a more sagging man-to-man defense and have numerous sets on offense for the half-court style of game Fredrickson likes. Meyer prefers his men to play an in-your-face man-to-man and a motion offense.

"As long as your players buy into what you are doing, they do it well and together, that is the most important thing," Fredrickson said. "We are an example of two coaches who have different philosophies at the same school but find a way to be successful with their teams."

Northern State was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics until 1995-96. Fredrickson guided the women’s team to national titles in 1992 and 1994. Meyer, who began his head coaching career in 1972 at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, also took Lipscomb to an NAIA championship in 1986.

Meyer decided to seek the position at Division II Northern State after Lipscomb officials decided to pursue NCAA Division I status.

"Kids spend half the week on the road at that level," Meyer said. ‘They may have to leave on a Wednesday morning to play a game, and they will only be in class two days a week. That doesn’t work for me. There are all kinds of tradeoffs when a move like that is made."

Rather, Meyer was intrigued by the local appeal of the Division II athletics paradigm. Once he was hired at Northern State, he brought some ideas that helped the athletics department connect with the community.

One is called the "Halloween House of Hoops," in which children are invited to Northern State’s Wachs Arena to trick-or-treat. Student-athletes from both teams don costumes and distribute candy.

Players from both genders also work the summer basketball camps, which creates more camaraderie between the university and the citizens of Aberdeen.

The community fervor is strong enough to fuel Meyer’s desire to have Northern State host the Division II Men’s Basketball Championship. He is certain the community would rally to support the event.

"If we get the Elite Eight here, it will destroy any attendance record," Meyer said. "We would get 8,000 a night easy. I don’t care who is playing in it."

Given the previous success, odds are that it would be Northern State at least once in a while.