Towson women’s basketball senior Anissa Rivera recently chatted with PressBox about working with new Tigers head coach Laura Harper, her advice for younger players and more. The 6-foot-1 guard/forward averaged 10.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last year for Towson after transferring in from North Carolina Central. Rivera is a native of Capitol Heights, Md., and graduate of National Christian Academy.
PressBox: How did you become interested in basketball?
Anissa Rivera: At first I didn’t even really like the sport, honestly. I was the only girl playing with boys. I wasn’t really feeling it. But once my mom put me into it, I kind of just fell in love with the game. I think that’s really where I got my competitiveness from. I’m from Rhode Island. Recess in school, most of my friends were boys. They were playing basketball. I wanted to hang out with my friends, so I would say that. Hanging out with friends kind of turned into me playing basketball.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
AR: I always liked watching the WNBA, so it was Maya Moore when I started playing in middle school. It was still through high school, I really liked her game. I liked how she played. I started watching college, so really Brianna Stewart. I watched her game the most. I try to play like her. I feel like we play alike.
PB: Why did you transfer to Towson ahead of the 2021-22 season after two years at North Carolina Central?
AR: I knew [former Tigers head coach Diane Richardson] from playing in AAU, so when I put my name in the transfer portal she was one of the first people to call. I talked to her for a little bit, and it was closer to home. It was only like an hour from home, so I was like, “My family loves to see me play. They’re my biggest supporters. You know what, I might as well come home.” I know the coaches and stuff. It was just cool here. I like it here.
PB: Why did you decide to stay at Towson when Richardson moved on to Temple? What has it been like to learn under new head coach Laura Harper?
AR: I decided to stay because when they were interviewing coaches, they were telling us about the coaches. I knew she went to Maryland, so that’s local too. I’m a big person on local stuff, like family coming to games. When we work out, she’s just really intense, really wants us to work on our game. I started falling in love with the game again, so I would say her grit and stuff [is] helping our team get better. We’re getting stronger. It’s fun playing under her.
PB: What’s your favorite memory so far at Towson?
AR: Last year we had a great record. It was [24-8]. I would say that. We were like the underdogs. I feel like this year we’re going to be the underdogs [again] though because most of the team left. The coaches left. I would just say my teammates going hard — especially the teammates that stayed here, they really go hard. So I’m really glad that we stayed together to play.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Towson University?
AR: I kind of like the atmosphere here, even though I went to a HBCU and this is a PWI. It’s really no different. I would say my teammates, honestly, because they’re the people I hang out with the most. We’re in the trenches together, working out every day together, so I would say my teammates. I’ve built some really great bonds with them?
PB: What’s your favorite part about the town of Towson?
AR: I think a lot of places are close. I love food, so food places are close. The mall’s right down the street. It’s not too busy, honestly. I like chill places. It’s not too busy, not too packed, everybody minds their business.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
AR: I have two. I would say Ryann Evans and Kylie Kornegay-Lucas. They’re roommates right now. Like I said, we hang out with each other the most. I feel like our game styles are kind of the same. We’re all really detailed. We go hard. I feel like our teammates look up to us a little bit. But off the court, we just click. We all have the same things in common. We’re roommates, so we see each other every day. We talk every day. We really just click and get along.
PB: Did you look up to a teammate early in your college career?
AR: I did have somebody I played with in AAU. I looked up to [Tyasia Moore, who went on to play at Troy]. I went to high school with her for like a year or so. We were kind of the same position and we played the same, so I really looked up to her.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players?
AR: I would say don’t let coaches and other people get in your head. Focus on school. Take academics seriously because that’s going to be one of the first things they look at. Just stay with a positive attitude no matter what’s going on in the game or in life. Play the game, do what you do best and everything will come.
PB: What are your goals for after basketball, whenever it ends?
AR: Hopefully I play overseas. I want to play professionally. If that doesn’t work or if that comes to an end, I want to coach somewhere, whether it be high school, AAU, college, wherever the Lord takes me. I want to stay around basketball.
Photo Credit: ENP Photography