Sundiata Post – Rena Wakama, the Head coach of Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, has been named the Best Female Basketball Coach at the Paris 2024 Olympics tournament.
“Best coach of #Paris2024 Women’s Basketball, Rene Wakama, Nigeria,” a tweet on the X handle of the International Basketball Federation read on Sunday evening.
Wakama, 32, guided the female basketball team to their first-ever quarterfinals of the Olympic games when they beat Canada 79-70.
However, their journey at the Olympics was cut short when they lost to the eventual winners — United States, by 88-74 in the quarterfinals of the women’s basketball event.
Despite this, the team made an impressive record of being the only African basketball team (men and women) to progress to the last 16 at the event.
Wakama is the first Nigerian National Female Basketball Team coach to win the women’s Afrobasket title since it began in 1966.
D’Tigress defeated Senegal 84-74 in the final and secured Nigeria’s place as only the second country to win the title four times in a row.
Indeed, she has entrenched her name in the history of Nigerian female basketball.
The All-Star Five of the events include A’ja Wilson (USA), Gabby Williams (France), Breanna Stewart (USA), Alanna Smith (Australia) and Emma Meesseman (Belgium).
Also, D’Tigress’ point guard and three-time Afrobasket champion, Ezinne Kalu, was named one of the All-Second Team of the Olympics Women’s Basketball.
Others on the list include Julie Vanloo (Belgium), Satou Sabally (Germany), Valeriane Ayayi (France) and Ezi Magbegor (Australia).
The MVP of the Women’s Basketball event, according to FIBA, was A’ja Wilson, while Jade Melbourne (Australia) won the Rising Star award.
The Best Defensive Player award was given to Gabby Williams.
