I Won’t Turn Down Chieftaincy Title – Wakama
BY
RAYMOND NWADUBA
Coach of Nigeria’s female basketball team, D’Tigress, Rena Wakama has said she wouldn’t turn down a Chieftaincy title in recognition for her enviable achievements since being appointed as the team’s handler.
Wakama led the Nigerian side to win the Afrobasket tournament, making her the first woman to do so. Now at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic games, she has become the first African woman to qualify a team to the Olympics Basketball quarter final.
The ticket didn’t come easy as they defeated world number three, Australia and world number five, Canada, losing only to France to achieving the feat. This has spurred Okirika people in Rivers state where Wakama is from to consider bestowing her with a chieftaincy title.
In a zoom meeting yesterday between few of us journalists and Wakama organised by NBBF media team, the good looking coach asked if she would accept a Chieftaincy title now or wait till she’s 50 years said “we see but let me discuss with my family first.
Wakama who answered many other questions on the team’s scintillating performances had this to say about their today’s fixture with the USA “we are really excited because we want to play the best of the best.
“We believe that everything happened for a reason.
“We met them already in Belgium but we did not play our best so we are looking forward to meeting them again on Wednesday putting up a better.performance.
“So we are looking forward to it”.
The former basketballer turned coach continued further “I think the first game that we played with them was an eye opener. We were able to watch the game and break down what we did wrong, what we did good and I think now that our girls has the experience of playing against them, it would help a lot. “We’ve also played about five games now, we had three friendly and three matches here so we are going into the game confidently, playing well and we have a great addition to the team (Ezinne), that brings another level of intensity and experience to us.
“So I think USA has not played against this team before because the team they played against in Belgium is different from this team.
Therefore, we are looking forward to doing what we do and do it well”, she concluded.
