D’Tigress head coach, Rena Wakama, has expressed her satisfaction with the current players at her disposal and outlined her commitment to discovering and nurturing new talent for the future of Nigerian women’s basketball.

Recently voted as FIBA’s best women’s coach after the Olympics, Wakama emphasized her pride in her team, praising their self-motivation and dedication to representing Nigeria.

“Great group of girls. They’re easily motivated by their own goals. I don’t think it will be extremely tough to keep them together. We’ve already made history as you saw. So I think they have their own intrinsic motivation to be the best. So my job is easy,” Wakama said.

Wakama is also focused on developing the sport in Nigeria by actively identifying young talent.

She highlighted the importance of scouting efforts and collaboration with local coaches to find and develop players who can contribute to the national team in the future.

“There are always camps going on, and there’s a league in Nigeria that’s ongoing. I have eyes everywhere,” she noted.

“I have coaches that I know who are also helping me to identify talent—it’s a process. Back in the States, I’m always figuring out who’s the young one coming up. Then we’ll get them through the younger teams, the U18, U19, and eventually, the national level.”

Looking ahead, Wakama is excited about the next few years and is determined to build a strong foundation for Nigerian basketball. “I’m looking forward to the next few years and really building Nigerian basketball,” she added.