Rena Wakama was born on April 11, 1992, in Rivers State, Nigeria. She developed a strong talent and love for basketball early on, which finally allowed her to join the professional ranks of the sport. Her dedication and tenacity laid the foundation for a remarkable career that later transitioned into coaching.
Career
Rena Wakama is in her fourth year as an assistant coach at Manhattan College after serving for two years as director of women’s basketball operations.
As an assistant coach, Wakama oversees the development of the wing/guard position players, while also serving as the team’s academics and community service liaison. Under her mentorship this past year, the Jaspers earned a program-high 3.61 team GPA and placed fifth nationally in community service hours for all Division I women’s basketball.
Wakama helped develop Davis and Brazil Harvey-Carr to earn postseason All-MAAC honours during the 2021-2022 season. Davis was selected as a First Team All-MAAC member as well as being selected to the Second Team All-Met. Harvey-Carr slotted in on the All MAAC Second Team. Davis concluded the season averaging 18.3 points per game, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. The 18.3 points paced the MAAC, including her 1,000th point against Canisius (Mar. 10, 2022) in the MAAC Championship Semifinals and a career-high 35-points in the MAAC Championship game (Mar. 12, 2022). Harvey-Carr finished her first season in Riverdale averaging 12.2 points per game while pulling down 6.9 rebounds per game and dishing out 2.5 assists.
The Jaspers have also earned many on-the-court accolades during Wakama’s tenure as an assistant coach, including winning individual awards for Dee Dee Davis (2020-21 All-MAAC Second Team), Courtney Warley (2020-21 All-MAAC Second Team, 2019-20 All-MAAC First Team, All-Met Second Team and All-ECAC Second Team) and Emily LaPointe (2019-20 unanimous MAAC Rookie of the Year, MAAC All-Rookie Team and All-Met Third Team), as well as achieving the team’s best conference finish since the 2011 season. Wakama also oversees the program’s annual #playGREEN kids summer camp.
In her first two years serving as the team’s DOBO, Wakama handled the day-to-day operations of the program, including organizing team travel and overseeing student managers. Wakama also ran all fundraising events and assisted with the program’s community service initiatives.
A native of Raleigh, NC, Wakama is a former North Carolina Cap-7 Player of the Year. A standout at Western Carolina University, she made 121 starts over her four-year career with the Catamounts. During her senior year in 2013-14, Wakama averaged 10.4 points per game and received Southern Conference All-Tournament Second Team honours. She was also a three-time SoCon Academic Team honoree.
Following her graduation, Wakama played professional basketball, making stops in the United Kingdom and the FIBA African Basketball League, in addition to playing for the Senior Nigerian National Team. Wakama arrived in Riverdale after serving as an assistant coach for the Carolina Flames AAU organization, which she also played for.
Wakama received a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation from Western Carolina in 2014 and an MBA from Manhattan in 2019.
Education
Rena Wakama is an exceptional basketball player and a hard worker in the classroom. She obtained a Therapeutic Recreation degree from Western Carolina and continued her education by obtaining an MBA from Manhattan. Her academic background shows her commitment to self-improvement and serves as an inspiring role model for aspiring athletes.
After her playing career, Rena Wakama made the transition into teaching, which has proven to be a natural step for her. She is currently the head coach’s assistant at Stony Brook University in the United States. Thanks to her coaching experience and her time as a player, she has invaluable insights to aid in the development and mentoring of the upcoming generation of basketball talent.
When did she become the NBBF Coach?
On June 30, 2023, the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) appointed former national team player Rena Wakama as the new head coach for D’Tigress.
