STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Recently appointed Stony Brook women's basketball assistant coach Rena Wakama became the first female head coach since the inception of the FIBA AfroBasket tournament in 1966 to lead their team to glory after guiding the 2023 Nigeria women's basketball team to their fourth consecutive FIBA Women's AfroBasket championship.

"This was a life changing experience that I will cherish for a lifetime," Wakama said. "This is bigger than basketball. I look forward to using this platform to grow the game not only for players but the great coaches in Africa and empowering women coaches in our home."

The youngest and first female head coach in the 57-year history of Nigerian Professional Basketball, the 31-year-old Wakama led D'Tigress to a perfect 5-0 record during the 12-team tournament that had an average margin of victory by 20 points for the squad. Nigeria tallied victories over Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal. The team earned the championship after defeating Senegal 84-74 in Kigali, Rwanda.

D'Tigress extended their continental winning streak to 24 consecutive games, dating back to the 2015 Women's AfroBasket third-place game in Yaounde.

"I'm extremely happy for Rena," head coach Ashley Langford said. "She was ready for this opportunity and capitalized on it. Representation is important and she has set a great example for young women of color. I'm excited to watch her continued growth as a head coach."

A native of Raleigh, N.C., Wakama was a four-year letterman at the University of Western Carolina before playing professional basketball in the United Kingdom. In 2015, Wakama got her first action with D'Tigress as a player after traveling to Cameroon to compete with the squad at AfroBasket. Wakama also played with First Bank Club during the 2016 season before making the leap into her coaching profession.

Entering her first year with the Seawolves, Wakama joined Stony Brook after spending the previous six seasons at Manhattan College where she served as the Director of Basketball Operations for her first two seasons. She handed the day-to-day operations of the program, including organizing team travel and overseeing student managers at Manhattan.

For the past four seasons, Wakama served the Jaspers as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator where she oversaw the development of the wing/guard position players, while also operating as the team's academics and community service liaison.

2023 FIBA Women's AfroBasket Final Standings:
1. Nigeria
2. Senegal
3. Mali
4. Rwanda
5. Mozambique
6. Cameroon
7. Uganda
8. Guinea
9. Egypt
10. Angola
11. Cote d'Ivoire
12. DR Congo

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