By virtue of a strong first semester resume, the Sheridan Bruins women's basketball team (18-2, 6-0 OCAA) will do something no other Ontario women's basketball team has done before — ring in the New Year as the nation's top ranked team, having sat perched atop the CCAA national rankings for the past three weeks.



"It's a tremendous honour, but the ranking belongs to the athletes, not me," head coach Shane Bascoe said. "They are the individuals putting in all the hours on the court now and in the off-season. Without their hard work and dedication to school and basketball, we (would) never get this ranking."



The club finishes the first semester with an 18-2 record, 6-0 in OCAA league play and 14-1 against CCAA competition. And while proud of the accomplishment and what it represents, Bascoe is still able to keep its significance in perspective.



"It is just a ranking. The real number one that we are after comes in a package of three," he said. "We want to win the West of the OCAA, win the OCAA Tournament, and win the National Championship. Those are the rankings a team earns on the court, not by a straw vote."