Coach Rena Wakama’s D’Tigress’ historic run in the 2024 Olympics, was ended by the USA with an 88-74 quarter-final victory.
Wakama, the first female head coach of the Nigerian female basketball national team, made history on Monday when he led Team Nigeria to a historic 75-62 victory over Australia.
Under her expert guidance, D’Tigress triumphed with a 75-62 win over Australia as they secured their first win at the Olympics in 20 years.
D’Tigress, inspired by Wakama’s strategic acumen, delivered a performance marked by agility, precision, and undaunting determination.
Amid the end of the historic milestone, here are six things to know about the coach of D’Tigress:
1. Wakama was born on April 11, 1992, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her are parents Johnson Wakama and Rosana Oba.
2. Wakama, Ijaw by tribe, hails from Okrika in Rivers State, Nigeria.
3. She graduated from Western Carolina University in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation. During her collegiate years, she was a member of the university’s women’s basketball team, the “Catamounts.”
4. Following a brief playing career, she joined the D’Tigress in 2015 after graduating from college. She travelled to Cameroon with the squad for the 2015 Women’s Afrobasket competition, which saw Nigeria finish third.
5. Before her coaching career, she competed with Nigeria’s First Bank squad in the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women, earning valuable knowledge and insights into elite competition.
6. She transferred to Manhattan College, where she started as the operations director for the women’s basketball team. In her third year, she was elevated to assistant coach. In this job, she honed her coaching talents while also managing academic and voluntary commitments, expanding her experience.
