Nigerian-born coach Rena Wakama has been appointed as the head coach of the national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
The announcement comes ahead of the 27th FIBA Africa Women’s Championship, scheduled to take place in Rwanda from July 28 to August 6. Wakama, who is currently serving as an assistant coach at Stony Brooks University in the United States, has signed a two-year contract with the NBBF.
Wakama brings a wealth of experience to the role, having played for the Nigerian national team as well as professionally in the United Kingdom.
She was a four-year letterman at the University of Western Carolina and holds a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation from the same institution. She also obtained an MBA from Manhattan in 2019.
Taking charge of the current African champions, Wakama faces the challenging task of rebuilding a team that has been affected by political upheaval surrounding the federation’s election in 2022.
This turmoil resulted in the team losing their place at the last World Cup in Australia. However, D’Tigress has remained unbeaten by any African team across the globe since winning the championship in 2017. They even reached the quarterfinals of the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Spain, defeating highly regarded teams along the way.
Wakama’s immediate focus will be on successfully defending the African cup in Rwanda. NBBF President, Musa Kida, expressed confidence in the new coach’s ability to lead the team to success, emphasizing the thorough evaluation of her basketball experience prior to the appointment. The team’s programs for the upcoming AfroBasket Championship will be released by Wakama this week, allowing the players to commence preparations immediately.
In other basketball news, Nigeria’s senior men’s team, D’Tigers, has commenced their campaign to qualify for the Angola 2023 AfroBasketball Championship. The team arrived in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, ahead of their matches against teams from FIBA Africa Zone Three and Zone Two. These teams will compete for the sole ticket from the combined zones, as arranged by FIBA Africa.
