Rene Wakama, the coach of Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, has been named the best coach of the Paris 2024 Olympics by FIBA.
This recognition comes amidst widespread celebration and support from fans and media outlets in Nigeria and beyond, highlighting her achievement as a young coach making history in the Olympics.
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 Wakama.
Just 32 years old, Wakama has been deservedly crowned Best Coach after guiding D’Tigress to an array of historical achievements in Paris.
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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 Quarter-Finals.
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.