D’Tigress Coach Wakama Confident Ahead Of FIBA Women’s World Cup

D’Tigress head coach Rena Wakama has expressed confidence in her team’s readiness for the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, Germany, later this year, despite a series of narrow defeats in the recent qualification tournament in Lyon.

Following their final game, an 81-73 loss to Germany on Tuesday at the Villeurbanne Sports Arena, Coach Wakama highlighted areas for improvement. The African champions concluded the tournament with two victories and three close losses against South Korea, hosts France, and European giants Germany.

Elizabeth Balogun led Nigeria with 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist, while Musa Mujarnatu contributed 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. The match also marked a memorable final appearance for Sarah Ogoke, who announced her retirement from international basketball.

Coach Wakama praised her team’s performance in Lyon, viewing it as crucial preparation for the September World Cup. “We were competitive throughout the tournament and learned together, especially from the matches we lost,” she stated.

She emphasised the need to enhance their game for the main event: “Going to the World Cup, we have to start games better and make better decisions on the court in critical moments. So we will go back and analyse the games more and focus more on our energy.”

D’Tigress star Victoria McCaulay earned a spot in the All-Star Five at the Lyon qualifying tournament. The 16 teams for the World Cup are now confirmed, with host Germany, African champions Nigeria, Asian champions Australia, American champions USA, and European champions Belgium among the qualifiers. Other nations include France, Spain, South Korea, China, Italy, Mali, Czechia, Turkey, Japan, Hungary, and Puerto Rico.