Nigeria’s D’Tigress coach Rena Wakama has admitted that the team fell well short of the standards it established at the Paris 2024 Olympics, insisting that the disappointing 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign must become a turning point for the programme.
READ ALSO: FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup: D’Tigress Crushed 111–56 by France as Nigeria’s Campaign Ends in Berlin
D’Tigress ended their World Cup campaign without a victory after suffering a heavy 111–56 defeat to France in their final Group B game in Berlin on Monday.
The loss followed earlier defeats to South Korea and Hungary and left the African champions at the bottom of their group.
The gulf between the two sides was evident from the opening minutes, with France racing into a 31–13 first-quarter lead before taking a commanding 65–26 advantage into halftime. France eventually completed the biggest defeat in D’Tigress’ World Cup history.
For Wakama, however, the result was not simply about one bad night. She acknowledged that Nigeria currently has work to do in rebuilding a team capable of competing consistently against the world’s best.
“The reality of where we are today is that we are in a rebuilding process.”
The coach stressed that Nigeria cannot continue to measure the current squad solely against the remarkable team that made history in Paris two years ago.
“We can’t rely on two years ago success. Who we are today, we are still figuring that out. I know we will.”
That Paris achievement remains a major part of Wakama’s tenure. Under her leadership, D’Tigress became the first African basketball team, male or female, to reach an Olympic quarter-final, defeating Australia and Canada before their historic run came to an end. Wakama was subsequently recognised by FIBA as the tournament’s best coach.
Nigeria then continued its dominance in Africa by winning a fifth consecutive Women’s AfroBasket title in 2025, making the contrast with the World Cup campaign even more striking.
But Wakama believes the lesson from Berlin is that past success cannot substitute for present preparation, chemistry and performance.
The coach also pointed to the gulf in quality between Nigeria and France, while insisting that the experience will be valuable as the team begins another phase of development.
Despite the painful defeat, she found encouragement in the younger players who were given significant exposure against one of the strongest teams in the tournament.
Grace Efosa-Aguebor finished as Nigeria’s leading scorer with 15 points, while Maryam Dauda was another youngster Wakama highlighted as part of the team’s future.
“I threw my young ones in the fire and they responded for me, so I am super proud of them.”
Wakama’s assessment also reflects a difficult tournament that began with problems Nigeria had already identified. Before the Hungary game, she admitted that the team’s starts had not been good enough and called for greater urgency from the opening tip.
D’Tigress eventually lost that game 71–67, despite a late fightback, after opening the competition with a 99–81 defeat to South Korea.
Against France, the slow start proved even more costly.
Nigeria managed only 13 points in each of the first three quarters, while France produced 31, 34 and 30 points respectively before D’Tigress improved in the final period. France also made an extraordinary 22 three-pointers, further exposing the gap between the teams on the night.
For Wakama, though, the rebuilding process is now about more than correcting one performance.
It is about identifying the best available Nigerian talent, improving team connectivity, giving younger players international exposure and taking national-team preparation to another level.
“It starts with who we’re getting in these uniforms, right? Just making sure that I’m continuing to put the best talent that Nigeria has to offer in these uniforms, and it comes with preparations.”
The World Cup may have ended in disappointment, but Wakama is refusing to view it as the end of the road.
Instead, Berlin could become the point from which a new D’Tigress generation begins to emerge.
Paris showed what Nigeria could become. Berlin has shown what still needs to be fixed. Now the rebuilding begins.
