Head Coach of Nigeria
Rena Wakama’s birth in the USA did not deter her from pursuing her dream of becoming a coach for her country, Nigeria. Wakama, who played college basketball at Western Carolina University, also represented her national team, the D’Tigress, at the 2015 Women’s Afrobasketball games in Yaoundé, Cameroon. She was later appointed as head coach of the team in 2023, guiding them to victory in the Women’s Afrobasketball games in Kigali, Rwanda, in a highly contested match against the 11-time champion Senegal. Under her leadership, she took the D’Tigress to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where, for the first time in the team’s history at the games, they advanced to the quarterfinals.
This made the D’Tigress the first African team, men or women, to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games in basketball. The Nigerians have an automatic ticket to this year’s 2025 AfroBasketball Women’s Games in Côte d’Ivoire. She will once again be on the national team’s sidelines in late July or early August for the games.
College Basketball Coach
In 2017, Wakama joined Manhattan College as the director of women’s basketball operations before becoming an assistant coach for the team in 2020. She worked at the school until 2023, when she left for one year to join Stony Brook as an assistant. During her time there, the team advanced to the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament. After leaving Stony Brook, she joined Tulane’s women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in 2024.
The Chicago Sky announced that she will join the coaching staff to assist first-time head coach, Tyler Marsh. She will work alongside Courtney Paris and Tanisha Wright, who have also been named assistant coaches with the Sky.
The Sky stated, “Rena has proven that she has a winning mindset and attitude. We’ve seen her success this past summer with the Nigerian National Team at the Olympics, building on an impressive winning record and extensive background in coaching and player development. She is an excellent young leader and coach who will make a significant impact on Sky’s program.”
Chicago Sky
The WNBA 2025 season begins on May 16, and the Chicago Sky will face the Indiana Fever on May 17 in a home game. The team finished in 10th place during the 2024 WNBA season. So far, the Chicago Sky have signed Rebecca Allen from the Connecticut Sun, Kia Nurse from Los Angeles, and Alex Wilson, while also adding Arella Guirantes to a training camp contract.
