Few saw her potential. Now she's setting records on the basketball court

When Kiyara Letlow started playing basketball eight years ago, she was far from the best player on the court.

While the Toronto native grew up playing other sports such as volleyball and soccer, basketball didn't come naturally.

"All of a sudden, I wasn't the best or the biggest or the fastest or the strongest anymore … it was hard to deal with," said the 22-year-old forward who plays for Cape Breton University in Sydney, N.S. "I contemplated quitting a couple times."

With teammates not passing her the ball, an experience she called demoralizing, she realized the only way she was going to get the ball was to take matters into her own hands — literally — and become a great rebounder.

Her hard work has paid off. Letlow recently broke the Atlantic University Sport record for career rebounds — 1,022 — in women's basketball. Even more impressive, she still has a season and a half of playing eligibility.

"The fact that she broke this record in four seasons is bonkers, it's crazy," said Christopher Rao, CBU's interim head coach.

Up next is the chase to break the unofficial national record of 1,181 held by University of Saskatchewan's Sarah Crooks.

Letlow attributes her rebounding success to a few things, including her six-foot-one height and six-foot-six wingspan, her hustle, but also an innate sense of being able to predict where the ball is heading when a player shoots.

Rao said understanding where the ball is going is something that can be taught to a certain extent, but very few players have a natural gift for it. As well, rebounding is a gritty job.

"Not everyone has the intention to go rebound all the time because it is hard, it's difficult," he said. "You get knocked around a little bit."

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