D’Tigress Coach Rena Wakama has stated that her team is focused on defending its title as AfroBasket Champions, adding that the team is also looking forward to playing on the world stage at the Olympics.
She made the statement during an open training session in Abuja on Sunday, ahead of the 2025 AfroBasket Championship, which is holding in the Ivory Coast from the 26th of July, 2025.
Wakama, who was hired as D’Tigress Coach in June 2023, led the team to a historic fourth consecutive women’s AfroBasket title in Rwanda, becoming the first female coach to win the title, before reaching new heights with the team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals.
D’Tigress would be looking to defend its title, and win the competition a fifth time, a feat the team’s coach described as it’s short-term goals.
“We have a core that has been with me for a few years now. But the key right now is to connect, come together and be focused.
“Because we know going into this tournament, everyone is coming for us. It is what it is.
” We have to connect and be as tight as possible so we can withstand any obstacles that come our way.
“Short-term goals is to win Afro Basketball. Long-term goals, obviously, the eye is always on the Olympics.
“Those are the tournaments that we go and play on the world stage. The long-term goal is to get on the podium, get one of those medals. That’s a long-term goal,” she said.
Coach Wakama also said her goal was to inspire the younger generation of female basketball players, while calling for the support of fans and Nigerians alike.
“Also, outside of sports, we want to continue to be able to empower and uplift sports and basketball in Nigeria. We need support from everybody. We need the fans.
“It’s so beautiful to have everyone here today to support us. But we need more of it.
“After these girls are gone, who’s the next generation that I’m inspiring? We need more people to support our young girls in basketball,” Wakama said.
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She added that the team was excited to be playing in the Championship, adding that the team will give it’s all at the competition.
“It’s excitement. No pressure. We’re going to give our all. Any team that I coach is going to play as hard as they can.
“We’re going to give our all. If we give our all and we win, great. If we give our all and we lose, great, we give our all.
“Maybe it wasn’t our day. But for me, we’re going to give our all in everything that we do,” she said.
Team captain, Amy Okonkwo, while speaking with our correspondent, reiterated the team’s excitement to be part of the competition.
“I think we’re looking forward to playing against great competition in other great countries. And I think we’re excited to be back together. We have a lot of good energy. We have a lot of new faces.
“We’re just trying to compete, stay focused, and do our best as we can in these couple of days that we have to prepare to go and compete in the Ivory Coast,” she said.
Okonkwo also expressed confidence in the D’Tigress team, noting that the team is “preparing to win”, while acknowledging that it will take hard work to go through the tournament and win the championship.
“I mean, we’re preparing to win. We’re working hard. We’re working on our defense, we’re working on our offence, and how we can build the best chemistry as a team in order to go and play in Afrobasket.
“I mean, I’m very confident in us, but it’s going to take hard work. Anybody can beat anybody, and we have to go in there with high heads and good confidence, and work together and win,” Okonkwo stated.
(Editor Paul Akhagbemhe)
