Ahmad Odetalla has been a part of the Brooklyn College Office of Recreation, Intramurals and Intercollegiate Athletics since 2004, spending his first two years as a student aide. He will be entering his seventh year as a member of the coaching staff for the Women's Basketball team, under Head Coach Alex Lang.
Odetalla also enters his fifth season as the Head Women’s Tennis Coach and his fourth season as the Men's Tennis Head Coach.
In his first season at the helm of the BC Women's Tennis team, Odetalla guided the squad to an 11-6 overall record in 2009, including an 8-1 mark in the CUNYAC, good for the #2 seed in the conference tournament. Five players would go on to earn all-conference honors under Odetalla's watch, as Nadine Alexander (Third Singles), Erika Gil (Fourth Singles) and Diana Derks (Fifth Singles) were all honored as CUNYAC First Team All-Stars; while Olexandra Osviy (Second Singles) was named a CUNYAC Second Team All-Star. Amalea Sideris was the major award winner, being named the CUNYAC Rookie of the Year.
2011 was arguably the greatest season in BC Women’s Tennis history, as the Bulldogs posted a 14-3 record, including a perfect 8-0 mark in the CUNYAC to win the conference regular season championship. Brooklyn would also go on to reach the final of the CUNYAC Women’s Tennis championships, falling to #2 Hunter College. For his efforts, Coach Odetalla would be named the CUNYAC Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year.
Coach Odetalla also helped develop the 2011 CUNYAC Women's Tennis Player of the Year in Yuliya Orkis, as well as a pair of CUNYAC Second Team All-Star members in Maria Sanz and Gianna Gelosi. Norma Lynn Chabbott was also honored with the Sportsmanship Award.
As head coach of the Men's Tennis team, coach Odetalla has guided the team to back-to-back appearances in the CUNYAC Championships.
Odetalla graduated from Brooklyn College with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education in 2007, and earned a Master's degree in Sports Management in 2009. He is currently a Physical Education teacher at Bedford Academy High School in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.
Odetalla has also coached on the high school level as the head track and field coach at Bedford Academy.
