Nigeria women's national basketball team

Nigeria

FIBA ranking	12 1 (15 February 2024)[1]
Joined FIBA	1964
FIBA zone	FIBA Africa
National federation	Nigerian Basketball Federation
Coach	Rena Wakama
Nickname(s)	D'Tigress
Olympic Games
Appearances	3
World Cup
Appearances	2
Medals	Quarter-finals (2018)
AfroBasket
Appearances	15
Medals	(2003, 2005, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) (1997, 2015)
All Africa Games
Appearances	8
Medals	Gold: (2003) Silver: (2007, 2015) Bronze: (1978, 1999, 2011)
Home Away

The Nigeria women's national basketball team (Igbo: ndị otu egwuregwu basketbọl ụmụ nwanyị nke Naịjirịa), also known as the D'Tigress, represents Nigeria in international women's basketball competition, and are regulated by the Nigeria Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Nigeria. Nigeria has one of the most successful women's national teams on the African Continent, being the current African champions. They have won the Women's Afrobasket Championship consecutively for four times in a row and six times in total.^[2] They won in 2017 at Bamako, Mali, 2019 at Dakar, Senegal, 2021 at Yaounde, Cameroun, and 2023 at Kigali, Rwanda.^[3]

History

2004 Summer Olympics

The Nigerians competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in basketball, one of ten events their national teams qualified for. The Nigerian women's basketball team was one of the twelve teams competing in the event. They earned their berth through a zone qualifying tournament and played in Group A along with Australia, Brazil, Greece, Japan, and Russia.^[4] The team went 0–5 in the preliminary round. In the 11/12th place game, they defeated the Korea for a final finish of 11th out of 12 teams.^[5] With this win, they became the first women's African basketball team to win a game at the Olympics.^[6]

Mfon Udoka was the team's leading scorer and the tournament's second highest scorer. Team athletes Itoro Umoh-Coleman and Joanne Aluka both played high school basketball at Hephzibah High School prior to playing together for Nigeria.^[7]

2006 FIBA World Championship for Women

Nigeria qualified for the 2006 FIBA World Championship by winning the 2005 FIBA Africa Championship for Women.^[8] They were placed into Group C with China, Russia, and the United States. Nigeria did not qualify for a pass into the second round and were defeated in the 15/16th place game by fellow African representatives Senegal by a score of 66–64. Their tournament record was 0–5.

Nigeria also participated in the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia.

Team in 2007

The team attended the FIBA Africa Championship for Women 2007; the qualifying event for African teams attempting to make the 2008 Summer Olympics. Nigeria made it to the quarterfinals of the 2007 FIBA African Championship before losing to Mozambique 69–61. They won fifth place by defeating Cameroon 63–50. The team did not qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games.

The Nigerian squad went undefeated in group play during the 2007 All-Africa Games. They went on to the semi-finals and lost to Mozambique 57–46.

2009 Nations Cup

Nigeria has qualified for the 2009 Africa Cup of Nations (basketball) to be held in Libya.^[9]

Competitive record

FIBA World Cup FIBA World Cup record Year Round Position Pld W L PF PA PD 1953 N/A (Team did not exist) 1957 1959 1964 did not enter 1967 1971 1975 did not qualify 1979 did not enter 1983 1986 1990 1994 1998 did not qualify 2002 did not enter 2006 Group stage 16th 5 0 5 296 381 −85 2010 did not qualify 2014 2018 Quarter-finals 8th 7 3 4 448 508 −60 2022 Withdrawn[10] 2026 To be determined Total 2/20 0 titles 12 3 9 744 889 −145

Summer Olympics Olympic Games record Year Reached Position GP W L GS GA GD 1976 did not enter 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 did not qualify 2000 2004 Group stage 11th 6 1 5 403 486 −83 2008 did not qualify 2012 2016 2020 Group stage 11th 3 0 3 217 270 −53 2024 qualified Total 3/13 0 titles 9 1 8 620 756 −136

AfroBasket Women

AfroBasket record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	GS	GA	GD
1966	did not enter
1968
1970
1974	Group stage	5th	5	3	2	278	245	+33
1977	did not enter
1979
1981	Group stage	7th	4	1	3	215	280	−65
1983	did not enter
1984
1986
1990
1993
1994
1997	Semi-finals	3rd	6	4	2	398	310	+88
2000	did not enter
2003	Champions	1st	6	5	1	386	328	+58
2005	Champions	1st	5	2	3	454	293	+161
2007	Quarter-finals	5th	8	6	2	516	448	+68
2009	Quarter-finals	5th	8	4	4	441	440	+1
2011	Semi-finals	4th	8	4	4	511	502	+9
2013	Quarter-finals	6th	8	3	5	411	429	−18
2015	Semi-final	3rd	8	6	2	608	477	+131
2017	Champions	1st	8	8	0	645	413	+232
2019	Champions	1st	5	5	0	399	243	+156
2021	Champions	1st	5	5	0	367	292	+75
2023	Champions	1st	5	5	0	374	274	+100
2025	Qualified
Total	15/29	6 titles	89	61	28	6003	4974	+873

Team honours and achievements

Intercontinental

• FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup
  • Quarterfinals: 2018

Continental

• AfroBasket Women
  • Gold Medal:
    2003,
    2005,
    2017
    2019
    2021
    2023
  • Bronze Medal:
    1997,
    2015
• All Africa Games
  • Gold Medal: 2003
  • Silver Medal: 2007, 2015
  • Bronze Medal: 1995, 1978, 1999, 2011

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2023 Women's Afrobasket.^[11][12][13]

Nigeria national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. F 0 Amy Okonkwo 26 – (1996-08-26)26 August 1996 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Maccabi Haifa 1 Alimat Abiola 24 – (1998-11-26)26 November 1998 C 3 Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpannah 26 – (1997-07-12)12 July 1997 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Faenza Basket Project G 5 Elizabeth Balogun 22 – (2000-09-09)9 September 2000 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Duke Blue Devils SG 7 Sarah Ogoke 33 – (1990-06-25)25 June 1990 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) Ferroviário de Maputo G 9 Ifunanya Okoro 24 – (1999-07-06)6 July 1999 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Tindastóll women's basketball F 11 Nicole Enabosi 26 – (1997-03-26)26 March 1997 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) C' Chartres Basket Féminin 14 Adenike Olawuyi 19 – (2004-02-08)8 February 2004 F 20 Murjanatu Musa 23 – (2000-05-05)5 May 2000 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) Celta de Vigo 22 Blessing Ejiofor 24 – (1998-09-02)2 September 1998 COB Calais 23 Olaoluwatomi Taiwo 23 – (2000-06-16)16 June 2000 25 Adebola Adeyeye 23 – (1999-10-11)11 October 1999	Head coach Rena Wakama Assistant coach(es) Juliana Negedu Samson Sotuminu Legend Club – describes last club before the tournament Age – describes age on 28 July 2023

Former players and coaches

This is a list of former players and coaches, as well as current players who have played on past squads, with their years on the team indicated by the Nigerian flag beneath a given year.^[14][15][16]

Name	Number	Position	Nationality	2004*	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Olawunmi Adebayo	9
Tayeloly Adeniyi	10
Mobolaji Akiode	6	Guard	Nigeria
Joanne Aluka	5	Forward	United States
Mactabene Amachree	13	Guard	Nigeria					As a player from 1994 to 2009 as an Executive 2017 to 2021
Parricia Chukwuma	12
Kevin Cook		Coach
Adenike Dawodu	11
Nguveren Iyorhe	10	Guard
Ezinne James	15
Aisha Mohammed	9	Guard
Juliana Ojoshogu Negedu	7	Guard
Scott Nnaji		Coach
Chineze Nwagbo	8
Linda Ogugua	15	Center	Nigeria
Morolake Ogunoye	5
Ugo Oha	8	Center	United States
Ugochuckwu Oha	15
Funmilayo Ojelabi-Ogunleye	10
Mercy Okorie	7
Adeola Olanrewaju	14
Taiwo Rafiu	14	Center
Rashidat Sadiq	12	Forward
Sam Vincent (basketball)		Coach
Itoro Umoh-Coleman	4	Guard	United States
Tamunomiete Whyte	5

*Olympic games attended by the squad indicated in this year.

See also

• Nigeria women's national under-19 basketball team
• Nigeria women's national under-17 basketball team

References

External links

• Official website
• FIBA profile
• Nigeria Basketball Records at FIBA Archive
• Afrobasket – Nigeria Women National Team

This page was last edited on 4 April 2024, at 21:18