Brooklyn resident tells the untold story of Division I sports in new memoir
Unlike the stories of the most visible Division I college athletes, Bushwick resident Amanda Ottaway’s story has more in common with those of the 80 percent of college athletes who are never seen on TV.
In her forthcoming book “The Rebounders,” Ottaway follows the college career of an average NCAA Division I women’s basketball player in the 21st century, beginning with the recruiting process when Ottaway is an eager, naive teenager and ending when she’s a more contemplative 20-something alumna. “This book is mostly memoir, though I have researched and fact checked it and confirmed it with others whenever I could,” she writes.
Ottaway’s story, along with the journeys of her dynamic Wildcat teammates at Davidson College in North Carolina, covers in engaging detail the life of a mid-major athlete: recruitment, the preseason, body image and eating disorders, schoolwork, family relationships, practice, love life, team travel, game day, injuries, drug and alcohol use, coaching changes and what comes after the very last game.