D’Tigress Coach, Rena Wakama, becomes Hive BC Manager in U.S.

Posted by admin Sports, Basketball, Headlines Saturday, November 1st, 2025

Rena Wakama

By Ernest Victor

D’Tigress of Nigeria head coach, Rena Wakama, has been appointed as the new head coach of Hive BC ahead of the 2025-2026 Unrivalled Basketball League season in the United States.

The Unrivalled League, co-founded in 2023 by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, kicked off its inaugural season in January 2025 with six teams. It is set to expand to eight franchises when its second campaign begins in January 2026.

Wakama’s appointment was confirmed on Thursday after the league released its full list of head coaches for the upcoming season. She joins seven other coaches selected to lead the teams into the league’s sophomore year.

“Rena Wakama will lead Hive BC in the team’s Unrivalled debut, following her first season as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky,” the league said in an official statement.

“Wakama also serves as head coach of the Nigerian Women’s National Team and made history in 2024 when the D’Tigress became the first African team, men’s or women’s, to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympics.”

The 32-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise in her coaching career. She guided D’Tigress to back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket titles in 2023 and 2025, becoming the first woman to ever win the tournament as head coach.

Under her leadership, Nigeria also reached the quarter-finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“After joining as head coach in June 2023, she became the first female coach to ever win a Women’s AfroBasket title in August 2023 and subsequently led the team to another AfroBasket title in 2025,” the league added.

Before her success with the national team, Wakama worked as an assistant coach at Tulane University and Stony Brook University in the United States.

She began her coaching career at Manhattan College, serving first as the director of basketball operations before being promoted to assistant coach.

As a player, Wakama starred at Western Carolina University, where she laid the groundwork for her coaching journey.

She now joins a talented group of coaches in the Unrivalled League, including Noelle Quinn (Breeze BC), Andrew Wade (Laces BC), DJ Sackmann (Lunar Owls BC), Zach O’Brien (Mist BC), Roneeka Hodges (Phantom BC), defending champion Nola Henry (Rose BC), and Teresa Weatherspoon (Vinyl BC).

NAIJANEWS