Sidney Thomas lists team chemistry, experience, talent and bench strength as reasons why her Fairmont State College women's basketball team is 23-2 and ranked No. 7 nationally in NCAA Division II.

Thomas' rebounding abilities have also been a huge asset. A 5-foot-9 junior forward, she is averaging a team-high 11.4 rebounds a game to go along with a scoring average of 9.2.

A Westinghouse High graduate, Thomas has been Fairmont's leading rebounder in 20 of 24 games, including a season-high 23-rebound performance in a 74-56 win over Millersville on Dec. 12.

"Sidney rebounds with a passion," said Steve McDonald, in his fifth year as Fairmont's coach. "After the game, she looks at the stat book to see how many rebounds she had, not how many points she scored. That's unusual in this day and age."

Thomas, 20, acknowledges that "rebounding is my thing." She said when she watched NBA basketball on television while growing up, she always admired the top rebounders -- Dennis Rodman, Charles Barkley and David Robinson.

"Sidney rebounds so well for the same reasons Dennis Rodman rebounded well," said McDonald. "She goes after the rebound. She doesn't assume someone else is going to get it. She's what we call a ball-getter."

Fairmont's starting lineup consists of three four-year starters, including Seton-LaSalle grad Kristen Gattuso, who averages a team-high 23 points a game and is the school's career scoring leader with 1,867 points. Thomas and junior guard Ashley Reed, a transfer from Division I Duquesne University, complete the starting five.

So far, it's been a dream season for Fairmont, which owns a 13-1 mark in the 15-team West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The host Falcons beat the first-place team Charleston (15-1 in league) last Thursday, 66-58, before 1,900 ecstatic fans.

Fairmont produced back-to-back 21-8 records during Thomas' first two years on the team.

Thomas averaged 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds a game as a freshman at Fairmont and 11.6 points, 10.9 rebounds last year. She already ranks third in career rebounds at the school with 910 and would appear to have a shot at the school record of 1,204 before her career ends next year.

"I'm not surprised by her college success," said veteran Westinghouse coach Phyllis Jones. "I knew she could do it. She's a pure team leader, a team player. She makes other players better. She's not selfish at all."

Jones took her current Westinghouse team on the 1 ¹*₂-hour journey to Fairmont, W. Va., last Saturday to see Thomas play. Thomas didn't disappoint, tallying 13 points, a game-high 16 rebounds and four blocked shots in a 69-57 win over West Virginia State.

Thomas was a mainstay on some strong Bulldogs teams in high school, helping Westinghouse win the City League title in 2001.

McDonald began recruiting Thomas after watching her perform at the Pittsburgh-based Girls' Roundball Classic in both the practices and the game. The Westinghouse star eventually picked Fairmont over California University of Pennsylvania.

"Sidney appeared to be a good rebounder when we recruited her, but I didn't realize she'd be this good," said McDonald. "Sidney has developed over the last three years."

And so has her team. Thomas said lots of hard work has gone into both her success and Fairmont's winning ways.

"In high school, I played basketball. Now, I look at this as my job," said Thomas, a sports management major. "I'm more intense. I'm more in tune to the game. I'm out there thinking about the number of timeouts we have left. I'm thinking about the shot clock. Talent takes over in high school. I'm more into it mentally here."