Tulane Assistant Leads Nigeria to Historic Olympic Victory
The Nigerian women’s national basketball team scored its first Olympic victory in 20 years as the D’Tigress defeated Australia, 75-62, in what may be one of the most stunning wins in the Paris Olympics women’s basketball tournament.
The coach who helped D’Tigress end that long Olympic drought was Tulane assistant women’s basketball coach Rena Wakama.
Ezinne Kalu put together a huge game in what was her first contest for the national team since the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. She finished with 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. She helped key a Nigeria defense that forced Australia into 26 turnovers. Nigeria turned the mistakes into 26 points.
Amy Okonkwo, who plays college basketball at TCU, helped Nigeria with 13 points.
Nigeria’s last victory in the Olympics was in 2004 when it defeated South Korean, 68-64. It was the country’s first win in nine games in the preliminary round. The country is currently ranked No. 12 in FIBA’s power rankings.
Check out the @NBCSports highlights of @NigeriaOlympic @DtigressNG earning a 75-62 victory over Australia under the leadership of @Coach_Rena on Monday.https://t.co/VCyxRP0HvN via @YouTube #RollWave 🌊 | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/O2tZ4ut0jN
— Tulane Women's Hoops (@GreenWaveWBB) July 29, 2024
Wakama took over as the Nigeria Women’s National basketball head coach last June and promptly became the first female coach to win the Women’s AfroBasketball title in August. Nigeria is the No. 1 ranked women’s team on the African continent and is making its second straight Olympic appearance.
Nigeria has two more games to play in pool action. It faces France at 10 a.m. central on Thursday and then Canada on Aug. 4 at 6:30 a.m. central.
Tulane hired Wakama in April. She followed new Green Wave head coach Ashley Langford, who was Wakama’s boss at Stony Brook. Last season with Langford leading the program Stony Brook went 28-5, advanced to the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament and captured the Coastal Athletic Association regular season title with a 16-2 record.
Before Stony Brook, the Raleigh, N.C. native was an assistant at Manhattan College for six seasons, first as director of basketball operations and then as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. In 2021-22 she assisted a Jaspers team that went 21-11, their best record in a decade.
Wakama isn’t the only Olympic participant with ties to Tulane.
Dominik Koefper, the former Tulane tennis standout, won his first-round singles match at the Paris Olympics on Sunday while competing for his native Germany.
Incoming freshman runner Tharushi Karunarathna will compete in the 800 meters for Sri Lanka when track and field starts later this week.
Thad Lettsome served as one of the flag bearers for the British Virgin Islands in the opening ceremony and will compete in sailing in the men's one person dinghy (ILCA 7) laser.
MATTHEW POSTINS