Rena Wakama, head coach of Nigeria’s Senior National Women’s Basketball Team, D’Tigress, has expressed confidence in their quarterfinal match against the United States in the ongoing Paris Olympics.
Speaking virtually from Paris, France, Wakama shared the team’s excitement about facing the nine-time gold medallists in today’s clash.
“We are really excited because we want to play the best of the best. We believe that everything happened for a reason. We met them already in Belgium but did not play our best, so we look forward to meeting them again on Wednesday (today),” Wakama said.
Reflecting on their previous encounter, she noted, “I think the first game we played with them was an eye-opener. We were able to watch the game and break down what we did wrong, what we did well and I think now that our girls have the experience of playing against them, it would help a lot.”
Wakama also highlighted the team’s preparation, stating, “We’ve also played about five games now; we have three friendlies and three matches here, so we are going into the game confidently. We are playing well, and we have a great addition to the team (Ezinne) who brings another level of intensity and experience to us.”
She emphasized that the USA would be facing a different team this time. “So I think the USA has not played against this team before because the team they played against in Belgium differs from this team. So we are looking forward to doing what we do and do it well,” she added.
D’Tigress have already made history in Paris, becoming the first African team, men’s or women’s, to reach the quarterfinals in Olympic basketball. Ending the United States’ 58-match winning streak and seven consecutive gold medals would rank among the greatest upsets in sports history.
The U.S. and Nigeria have met only once at the Olympics in women’s basketball, a group-stage game in Tokyo four years ago, where Team USA won 81-72, despite taking a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter. The two sides have also met twice previously at the FIBA World Cup, with the U.S. winning a group-stage game in 2006 and a quarterfinal in 2018.