Capable hands with red Nigerian blood flowing in their veins are all over the world waiting for the country to use them to achieve results. D’Tigress coach, Rena Wakama, is just one out of many who are programmed to make a mark if called upon.

Wakama took the national basketball team to the quarter finals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and she made it from a group that included some of the best in the World. D’Tigress defeated the Opals of Australia, ranked number three in the world and bundled out world’s number three Canada.

That result meant that for the first time, an African basketball team played in the quarter finals of the Olympic Games. It is instructive that the Nigerian coach was only appointed in June last year and was welcomed with criticisms when she took over.

Wakama settled down to work and showed what was in her when D’Tigress won the African Championships, Afrobasket, in Kigali. Some of the senior players were unavailable for the trip to Rwanda. With success achieved, they returned to the squad and are part of the progress in Paris. Canada needed to beat Nigeria to remain in contention.

They had an upper hand when both teams met at the FIBA World Cup, Tenerife ‘2108, with a slim 73- 72 victory in the match for the seventh place. The Canadians had two Nigerian players, Natalie Achonwa and Nayo Ekunwe. In Paris, Achonwa was there again, as the first Canadian to play basketball in four Olympic Games.

Ekunwe could not make the team but there was another dangerous Nigerian, Yvonne Ejim. D’Tigress made the day a sad one for the 79-70 losers. Achonwa played her last Olympic match and left the court in tears. Before confronting Canada, Nigeria had lost to France, 75-54 in the second match.

It was a shock defeat because D’Tigress hit Australia 75-62 in their opening game. Wakama knew exactly what to do with the North Americans to make history. She deserves respect for snatching a quarterfinals spot from a team, led by a man who won Olympic Games silver at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Victor Lapena was the assistant coach of Spain before joining Canada. Her strides in Paris should interest football lovers. What expatriates could not achieve, a Nigerian has. Wakama had no national team experience as a coach and she is of the same age group as some of

From Kigali as the first woman to lead a team to Afrobasket glory she also made it in Paris as the first to take Africa to Olympic basketball quarterfinals

her players. Raised in the United States, the coach understands the mentality of the girls. There were no long negotiations, dribbling of the media and public before Wakama was employed.

There were no outrageous figures bandied in dollars as her salary, by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) under the leadership of Musa Kida. Having played basketball for Nigeria, Kida was bold enough to take what would be considered a risk by employing Wakama, who was not a WNBA coach in the United States. In this case, the end justifies the means.

From Kigali as the first woman to lead a team to Afrobasket glory she also made it in Paris as the first to take Africa to Olympic basketball quarterfinals. Wakama cannot be called an outsider for she played for First Bank, Lagos even with her American background.

The coach was also a Tigress and was a member of the squad to the Douala 2015 Afrobasket. What she did not win as a player, she got as coach. Wakama has shown leadership by going for the best Nigerians available. Ezinne Kalu and Promise Amukamara stayed away from Kigali. She did not blacklist them. Both superstars have done so well at the Olympics.

Amy Okonkwo has remained captain of the team. The Super Eagles must learn from D’ Tigress. The girls qualified for FIBA Championships in 2022 and just when they were ready to make the country proud, President Muhammadu Buhari asked the world governing body to excuse them. Mali, who finished behind Nigeria in the Belgrade qualifiers, stepped in as replacement. Heavens did not fall.

D’Tigress have come back stronger. Okonkwo, Kalu, Amukamara are moving together with Murjanatu Musa, Pallah Kunaiyi Akpanah, Lauren Eno and Olaoluwa Taiwo to keep the world thrilled. D’Tigress debuted at the Athens 2004 Olympics, losing to Australia, Brazil, Greece, Japan and Russia.

They finished 11th after being defeated in a classification match. They did not do any better at Tokyo 2020. In Paris, there is a better story to tell. The story sounds sweeter when those who made it happen, threw aside the disappointment of missing a deserved place at the FIBA Championships in 2022 and the embarrassment that they encountered at the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024.