Rena Wakama
{{Short description|Nigerian basketball coach}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Rena Wakama
| position = Assistant Coach
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|04|11}}
| birth_place = Raleigh, North Carolina
| team = Chicago Sky
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 7
| weight_lb =
| high_school = Wake Forest High School (Wake Forest, North Carolina)
| college = Western Carolina University{{cite web | last=Udoh | first=Colin | title=Oderah Chidom quits Nigeria Women's basketball team | website=ESPN.com | date=2023-07-10 | url=https://africa.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/37988469/afrobasket-champion-oderah-chidom-quits-nigeria-women-basketball-team | access-date=2024-04-24}}
Manhattan College
| coach_start = 2017
| cyears1 = 2017–2023
| cteam1 = Manhattan (assistant)
| cyears2 = 2023–present
| cteam2 = Nigeria
| cyears3 = 2023–2024
| cteam3 = Stony Brook (assistant)
| cyears4 = 2024–2025
| cteam4 = Tulane (assistant)
| cyears5 = 2025–present
| cteam5 = Chicago Sky (assistant)
| highlights =
}}
Rena Wakama (born 11 April 1992) is a Nigerian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Nigeria Senior Women's Basketball Team and an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky.{{cite web | title=Paris 2024: Wakama Invites 15 Players For Olympic Qualifiers | website=Leadership News | date=2024-02-04 | url=https://leadership.ng/paris-2024-wakama-invites-15-players-for-olympic-qualifiers/ | access-date=2024-04-23}}{{cite web | last= | first= | title=U.S-based Nigerian, Wakama, is new D'Tigress coach | website=The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News | date=2023-07-01 | url=https://guardian.ng/sport/u-s-based-nigerian-wakama-is-new-dtigress-coach/ | access-date=2024-04-24}}{{cite web | last=Adewale | first=Abiodun | title=AfroBasket: D’Tigress star Okonkwo salutes Wakama | website=Punch Newspapers | date=2023-08-02 | url=https://punchng.com/afrobasket-dtigress-star-okonkwo-salutes-wakama/ | access-date=2024-04-24}}{{cite web | last=Bajela | first=Ebenezer | title=Applause as NBBF appoints Wakama new D’Tigress head coach | website=Punch Newspapers | date=2023-07-01 | url=https://punchng.com/applause-as-nbbf-appoints-wakama-new-dtigress-head-coach/ | access-date=2024-04-24}}
Early life and education
Wakama was born in Raleigh, North Carolina to Johnson Wakama and Rosana Oba whom are natives of Okrika, Rivers State, Nigeria.{{cite web | last=Shehu | first=Idris | title=CLOSE-UP: Rena Wakama, the first female coach to win Afrobasket title | website=TheCable | date=2023-08-06 | url=https://www.thecable.ng/close-up-rena-wakama-the-first-female-coach-to-win-afrobasket-title/amp/ | access-date=2024-04-23}}
She holds a bachelor's degree in Therapeutic Recreation from the Western Carolina University, and a master's degree in Business Administration from Manhattan College.{{cite web | last=Udugba | first=Anthony | title=Rena Wakama: Road to becoming first female basketball coach winner | website=Businessday NG | date=2023-08-08 | url=https://businessday.ng/life-arts/article/rena-wakama-road-to-becoming-first-female-basketball-coach-winner/ | access-date=2024-04-23}}{{Cite web |last=Murengerantwari |first=Christianne |date=2023-08-02 |title=FIBA Women's AfroBasket: Nigeria’s Rena Wakama a symbol of empowerment |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/9577/sports/basketball/fiba-womens-afrobasket-nigerias-rena-wakama-a-symbol-of-empowerment |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=The New Times |language=en}}
Career
=As a player=
While she was at WCU, she played for the Western Carolina Catamounts for four years.
Immediately she left college, she joined the D'Tigress where she played for the team at the 2015 Women's Afrobasket tournament in Cameroon where Nigeria finished third.{{cite web | title=My work with D'Tigress 'll be marvelous | website=Vanguard News | date=2023-07-15 | url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/07/my-work-with-dtigress-ll-be-marvelous-rena-wakama/ | access-date=2024-04-23}}
She also represented Nigeria's First Bank at the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women during her career as a player.
=As a coach=
For her first two years at Manhattan College, she served as the director of women's basketball operations, she became an assistant coach in her third year where she kept on developing talents while serving as the team's academics and community service liaison.
In 2023, she became the first female Head Coach of D’Tigress,{{cite web | last=Jide | first=Olusola Jide | title=Inspiring story of victorious D'Tigress coach, Rena Wakama | website=Daily Trust | date=2023-08-12 | url=https://dailytrust.com/inspiring-story-of-victorious-dtigress-coach-rena-wakama/ | access-date=2024-04-23}} and became the first Nigerian National Female Basketball Team coach to win the FIBA AfroBasket Women competition since it began in 1966.{{cite web | last=Reporters | first=Our | title=Seven things you need to know about Rena Wakama | website=Punch Newspapers | date=2023-08-11 | url=https://punchng.com/seven-things-you-need-to-know-about-rena-wakama/ | access-date=2024-04-23}}{{Cite web |date=2024-04-16 |title=Women's Basketball Assistant Coach Rena Wakama Guides Nigeria Women’s National Team to Their Fourth FIBA AfroBasket Title |url=https://stonybrookathletics.com/news/2023/7/26/womens-basketball-assistant-coach-rene-wakama-named-head-coach-for-nigeria-national-womens-basketball-team.aspx |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=Stony Brook University Athletics |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Sports |first=Pulse |date=2023-08-06 |title=D'Tigress: Amy Okonkwo wins MVP, Rena Wakama celebrates Afrobasket history |url=https://www.pulsesports.ng/basketball/story/dtigress-amy-okonkwo-wins-mvp-rena-wakama-celebrates-afrobasket-history-2023080607004819576 |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=Pulse Sports Nigeria |language=en}} At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, under her leadership, Nigeria’s D’Tigress became the first African team, male or female, to qualify for the quarterfinals of basketball at the Olympics after beating Canada 79-70.{{cite news |last1=Sports |first1=Pulse |title=D'Tigress beat Canada to make history: Nigeria becomes 1st African team to qualify for Olympic Quarter-Finals |url=https://www.pulsesports.ng/basketball/story/dtigress-beat-canada-to-make-history-nigeria-becomes-1st-african-team-to-qualify-for-olympic-quarter-finals-2024080413394904014 |access-date=4 August 2024 |work=Pulse Sports Nigeria |date=4 August 2024 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Alaka |first1=Jide |title=UPDATED: Paris 2024: Wakama-led D’Tigress make history in Lille |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/sports/nigeria-sports-news/720924-updated-paris-2024-wakama-led-dtigress-make-history-in-lille.html |access-date=4 August 2024 |work=Premium Times Nigeria |date=4 August 2024 |language=en}} She was awarded the Best Coach of the tournament by FIBA for guiding the Nigerian team to a historic outing at the Paris 2024 Olympics.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-11 |title=Rena Wakama is Paris 2024 Best Coach |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/womens-olympic-basketball-tournament-paris-2024/news/rene-wakama-is-the-paris-2024-best-coach |access-date=2024-08-11 |website=www.fiba.basketball |language=en}}
References
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