Chicago Sky Name Nigerian Women’s National Team Head Coach Rena Wakama to Coaching Staff

Chicago Sky Name Nigerian Women’s National Team Head Coach Rena Wakama to Coaching Staff

CHICAGO (March 24, 2025) — The Chicago Sky announced today that Rena Wakama will join Head Coach Tyler Marsh’s staff as an assistant coach. This comes after the Sky previously named Courtney Paris and Tanisha Wright as assistant coaches.   

“Rena has proven that she has a winning mindset and attitude,” Marsh said. “We’ve seen her success this past summer with the Nigerian National Team at the Olympics, building on an impressive winning record and extensive background in coaching and player development. She is an excellent young leader and coach who will make a significant impact on the Sky’s program.”    

Wakama recently led the Nigerian Women’s National Team to new heights after gaining success in the 2024 Paris Olympics this past summer. She was hired as the Nigerian Women’s National Basketball Head Coach in June 2023 and became the first female coach to ever win the Women’s AfroBasketball title in August 2023. She led Nigeria to the quarterfinals stage, where no African team, men or women, were able to make it out of the group stage prior to that. As one of the youngest head coaches in Olympic history, Wakama was awarded Best Coach by FIBA after her achievements in Paris.  

“I am honored and thankful for Jeff and Tyler for granting me the opportunity to join the Chicago Sky family,” Wakama said. “Tyler has one of the best basketball minds in the industry and I’m excited to help him bring his vision to life. I look forward to serving this organization and working alongside the other brilliant minds on staff to create a brand of basketball that is not only competitive but also fun to watch! Let’s get to work!”  

The Raleigh, North Carolina native joined the coaching staff at Tulane in 2024 as an assistant coach. Prior to her time with the Green Wave, she spent a year at Stony Brook in a similar role from 2023-24, where she helped lead the team to a 28-5 overall record after winning the Coastal Athletic Association regular season title with a 16-2 record.  

She also spent six years at Manhattan College as the director of basketball operations and then as an assistant coach with the Jaspers.   

Wakama was also a former standout collegiate player out of Western Carolina University from 2010-14, where she was named Southern Conference All-Tournament Second Team Honors and a three-time SoCon Academic Team honoree. She made 121 starts over her four-year career and averaged 10.4 points per game in her senior year with the Catamounts.  

Chicago will tip off the 2025 regular season on Saturday, May 17 against Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 12 p.m. CT. The Sky will also play three preseason games in 2025, including two against Minnesota on May 6 and 10, and one against the Brazilian National Team at LSU on May 2. Follow @chicagosky on all social media platforms and head to sky.wnba.com for the latest news, content and ticket purchasing. The full 2025 Sky season schedule can be viewed here.