Not too often can an athlete can say he's No. 1.

And the likelihood is you won't hear it from the mouth of Vadim Halimov.

If anything, it's quite the contrary for the talented basketball player.

Truth be told, Halimov is now the No. 1 player for the George Brown College Huskies.

He's also No. 1 in scoring in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association averaging 29 points a game. Yes, averaging 29 points a game - and we're not talking rep league hoops.

Halimov is also No. 1 in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association. Think about it for a few seconds, the top scorer in the country at the college level.

It has been one of those banner starts for the shooting guard, who is in his first year at George Brown - and final year of playing eligibility - after the two-time OCAA all-star decided he had had enough of Seneca College.

And just one more thing about Halimov, who learned the game at the age of 15, after graduation he just might tinker with opportunities in the National Basketball League in Canada or might try the European circuit.

Halimov, whose Huskies team entered the holiday break with the third-best record in the OCAA at eight wins in 10 games, knows he is in striking distance of becoming the all-time leading scorer in provincial college basketball history.

Right now, that belongs to former Durham College player Anthony Batchelor. Halimov, having amassed 1,540 points, needs 270 more to be King of Ontario. He has 11 regular season games to go in 2014. You figure the math.

Rather than talk about his success, the 25-year old native of Uzbekistan talks about his head coach and his teammates who, he claims, helped him get to this stage.

So, what does this all mean to Halimov, who didn't learn the game of basketball until he was 15 years of age?

"This is a very special year for me - my last year of eligibility playing at the College level," said Halimov, who has to be considered a candidate for OCAA Player of the Year, George Brown team MVP and even Male Athlete of the Year.

"My success is because of all the hard work and being taught well by coach (Jonathan) Smith - he has made me a better player and it helps even more with a great group of guys on the team. It's because of them that I am doing so well."

Halimov transferred to George Brown this year after graduating from a Police Foundations program at Seneca.

"He's more than a gifted basketball player - he's a genuine person, great attitude, wants to help people and cares about his team," said Smith, the Huskies head coach.

While Halimov has won several awards in mixed martial arts competition, he's working on a Business Marketing Program, which will help him when he's done playing basketball.

"Right now, there is only one thing on my mind - a championship to celebrate with my teammates," said Halimov. "I have never won one, even in a tournament, so I am motivated to do whatever I can to reach that objective and I know time is running out."

Source: George Brown College