Rena Wakama, the first Nigerian female basketball coach, earned the title of “best coach” at this year’s Olympics after leading D’Tigress to historic victories in Paris.
FIBA and the Olympic organizers recognized the 32-year-old coach for leading D’Tigress to the tournament quarterfinals for the first time in its history.
Nigeria won her first basketball match in the Olympics under the former college basketball player’s tutelage.
D’Tigress started their Olympics campaign by defeating Australia, the third-ranked team in the world.
The North Carolina-born coach also led her team to a shock win over fifth-ranked Canada in the final group game to seal a maiden appearance in the knockout stage.
In a statement on Sunday, FIBA described D’Tigress’s performance as “the most impactful performance by an African team in history at the Olympic Basketball Tournaments.”
The statement reads: “It was the most impactful performance by an African team in history at the Olympic basketball tournaments, and one of the main drivers of Nigeria’s unprecedented success was the leadership of playcaller Rena Wakama.
“Just 32-year-old Wakama has been deservedly crowned Best Coach after guiding D’Tigress to an array of historical achievements in Paris.
“Nigeria made everyone sit up and take notice by beating Australia on opening day, and that was the first time they had won a group phase game.
“A few days later, Nigeria stunned Canada to become the first African team to take two wins at the Games, once again their tenacious defence providing the platform for success.
“Even more impressive, this secured them a ticket to the knockout phase, and they became the first African team in history, men or women, to play in the Olympic quarterfinals.
“Their campaign eventually came to a close when they were beaten by the USA, but even then, they showed their fighting spirit and qualities until the very end.”
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