Nigeria women's national basketball team explained

Type:Women
Country:Nigeria
Nickname:D'Tigress
Coach:Rena Wakama
Joined Fiba:1964
Fiba Zone:FIBA Africa
National Fed:Nigerian Basketball Federation
Oly Appearances:3
Wc Appearances:2
Wc Medals:Quarter-finals (2018)
Zone Championship:AfroBasket
Zone Appearances:15
Zone Medals: (2003, 2005, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023)
(1997, 2015)
Zone Championship2:All Africa Games
Zone Appearances2:8
Zone Medals2: Gold: (2003)
Silver: (2007, 2015)
Bronze: (1978, 1999, 2011)
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H Title:Home
A Title:Away

The Nigeria women's national basketball team, 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 four times in a row and six times in total.[1] They won in 2017 at Bamako, Mali, 2019 at Dakar, Senegal, 2021 at Yaounde, Cameroun, and 2023 at Kigali, Rwanda.[2]

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.[3] 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.[4] With this win, they became the first women's African basketball team to win a game at the Olympics.[5]

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.[6]

2006 FIBA World Championship for Women

Nigeria qualified for the 2006 FIBA World Championship by winning the 2005 FIBA Africa Championship for Women.[7] 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.[8]

2024 Summer Olympics

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the Nigerian women’s basketball team defeated Australia 75-62 in their first game. This was the team’s first Olympic game victory in 20 years.[9] The team lost its second game in the tournament 75-54 against the host nation, France.[10] In their third game, they won 79-70 to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time ever. With this victory, the team became the first African basketball team, male or female, to qualify for the quarterfinals of the basketball competition at the Olympics.[11]

Competitive record

FIBA World Cup

FIBA World Cup record
YearRoundPosition
1953N/A(Team did not exist)
1957
1959
1964did not enter
1967
1971
1975did not qualify
1979did not enter
1983
1986
1990
1994
1998did not qualify
2002did not enter
2006Group stage16th5 0 5 296 381 −85
2010did not qualify
2014
2018Quarter-finals8th7 3 4 448 508 −60
Withdrawn[12]
To be determined
Total2/200 titles1239744889−145

Summer Olympics

Olympic Games record
YearReachedPositionGPWLGSGAGD
1976did not enter
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996did not qualify
2000
2004Group stage11th6 1 5 403 486 −83
2008did not qualify
2012
2016
2020Group stage11th3 0 3 217 270 −53
2024Quarterfinals8th4 2 2 282 295 −13
Total3/130 titles133109021051−149

AfroBasket Women

YearRoundPositionGPWLGSGAGD
1966did not enter
1968
1970
1974Group stage5th5 3 2 278 245 +33
1977did not enter
1979
1981Group stage7th4 1 3 215 280 −65
1983did not enter
1984
1986
1990
1993
1994
1997Semi-finals3rd 6 4 2 398 310+88
2000did not enter
2003Champions1st651386 328+58
2005Champions1st523454293+161
2007Quarter-finals5th8 6 2 516 448 +68
2009Quarter-finals5th8 4 4 441 440 +1
2011Semi-finals4th844511502+9
2013Quarter-finals6th8 3 5 411 429 −18
2015Semi-final3rd862608 477+131
2017Champions1st880645413 +232
2019Champions1st550399243+156
2021Champions1st550367292+75
2023Champions1st550374274+100
2025Qualified
Total15/296 titles89612860034974+873

Team honours and achievements

Intercontinental

Continental

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

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.[13] [14] [15]

NameNumberPositionNationality2004*20052006200720082009
Olawunmi Adebayo9
Tayeloly Adeniyi10
Mobolaji Akiode6GuardNigeria
Joanne Aluka5ForwardUnited States
Mactabene Amachree13GuardNigeriaAs a player from 1994 to 2009 as an Executive 2017 to 2021
Parricia Chukwuma12
Kevin CookCoach
Adenike Dawodu11
Nguveren Iyorhe10Guard
Ezinne James15
Aisha Mohammed9Guard
Juliana Ojoshogu Negedu7Guard
Scott NnajiCoach
Chineze Nwagbo8
Linda Ogugua15CenterNigeria
Morolake Ogunoye5
Ugo Oha8CenterUnited States
Ugochuckwu Oha15
Funmilayo Ojelabi-Ogunleye10
Mercy Okorie7
Adeola Olanrewaju14
Taiwo Rafiu14Center
Rashidat Sadiq12Forward
Sam Vincent (basketball)Coach
Itoro Umoh-Coleman4GuardUnited States
Tamunomiete Whyte5
*Olympic games attended by the squad indicated in this year.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nigeria are the winners of FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2021. 1 October 2021. FIBA.basketball. en.
  2. Web site: 26 September 2021. D'Tigress stun Mali to claim historic 3rd consecutive Afrobasket title. 1 October 2021. TheCable. en-US.
  3. (5 February 2004), 2002 Gold Medalist Sue Bird Added To USA Women's Senior National Team, USA Basketball. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20200418124138/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2004/BAS/womens-basketball.html Women's basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
  5. (24 August 2004), Nigeria snaps streak, finishes 11th, ESPN. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  6. Andy Johnston, Umoh teaches lesson in life, Augusta Chronicle, 29 January 1997. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  7. (27 February 2006), 2006 USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team's First European Tour Roster Stocked With Talent, USA Basketball. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  8. (12/10/08), Nigerian National Basketball Team Qualifies for 2009 Nations Cup, ZNNW.com. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  9. Web site: Mabunda . Sindiswa . Nigeria Ends 20-Year Olympic Drought With Triumph Over Australia . 2024-08-04 . Forbes . en.
  10. Web site: Alaka . Jide . 2024-08-01 . JUST IN: Paris 2024: D’Tigress lose to France, stay second in Group B . 2024-08-04 . Premium Times Nigeria . en-GB.
  11. Web site: Usen . Tom . August 4, 2024 . D’Tigress Beat Canada, Become First African Nation To Reach Olympics Quarter-Final . Channels Television.
  12. Web site: FIBA decision on Nigeria's participation in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022. 2 June 2022. FIBA.basketball.
  13. http://www.fiba-afrique.org/en/lect_actu.php?titre=evene&id=1632 NGR Women coach – Kevin Cook: I Want to Work with Nigeria Forever
  14. http://www.usabasketball.com/seniorwomen/2006/wwc_boxes/NIG.HTM 2006 FIBA World Championship-Nigeria (Statistics)
  15. Mechelle Voepel, (14 September 2006), Another American rout, but turnovers worth noting, ESPN. Retrieved 7 March 2009.