My Name Is Anzac

After becoming a cult favourite at the South East Melbourne Phoenix in his first season at the club, Anzac Rissetto will return to the Phoenix as a development player for another year, after an impressive start to his professional career.

The 22-year-old's story so far is one to hear, with his outlook on life and his career in basketball stemming from his background growing up in New Zealand. 

"For me, the ultimate goal is like any young aspiring basketball player; I think the goal is the NBA for sure. But I just want to do enough in this sport to give back to my people back home. To a lot of the kids that don't have the opportunity, I want to try and show them that there is a way," said Rissetto.

Growing up in South Auckland, it was just Rissetto and his mum early on in life, with his father coming back into the picture more recently, when Rissetto joined him as a labourer six months before landing at the Phoenix in 2022. 

"My mum grew up there (South Auckland) for 49 years of her life, so we lived there majority of my life. It was just me and my mum for a long time. My pops (father) wasn't around during my younger years, but he started to come in towards my later years, which has been really cool, but for a lot of those younger years, just me and my mum," he said.

(Rissetto with mum, Carmen.)

A self-proclaimed 'mummy's boy', Rissetto said his Mum is his best friend and protector in life, and always ensured food was on the table no matter what was happening externally.

"As a kid, I was very much a mummy's boy. My mum was a big scary woman, and there was nothing in the world scarier than her. She was the protector for me; she would do whatever it took to protect me and kind of shadow me in that sense, so I didn't get hurt," Rissetto commented. 

"My mum is my best friend, the person I could go to when stuff was bad or good. I needed advice with anything in life really, she was always there for me. We always had a roof over our head, but it was far from the average middle class, with the white picket fence, golden retriever dog and all that other stuff; it was far from that." 

South Auckland was known as a troubled neighbourhood in New Zealand. Rissetto was exposed to crime and negativity around him while he was young.

"I've seen a lot of stuff that I shouldn't have seen at that age, which helped me mature into the person I am today. I was quite a reserved kid; I was pulled away from a lot of external stuff. It was hard growing up in that environment, but it took a lot for me to get out of my shell. It came out a lot when I got older as I started to understand who I am," he said. 

(Baby Rissetto.)

From the moment he signed with the club for the NBL23 season, his name caught the attention of both Phoenix and NBL fans. A name like ‘Anzac’ has significance in both Australia and New Zealand.

"My name is Anzac, Australian New Zealand Army Corps. I have a lot of family who served in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Anzac Day is a big part of our household. We get up every Anzac Day for the dawn service, and I march on behalf of my grandfather.

"That was initially what the name stood for, but ultimately my name ended up being Anzac because my dad's best friend is Big Zac, as his name is also Anzac, so I got named after him. But my mum did want my initials to be WAR, Williams Anzac Rissetto, but ultimately, it's after my dad's best friend. But it had a cool story behind it," Rissetto said.

Along with basketball, a goal personally for Rissetto is learning about his M?ori heritage. Not knowing much about it while growing up, he has been studying about his people, embracing his culture through T? moko (traditional tattoos) while also teaching others about his background.

"I didn't grow up Maori. Maori was stomped out of New Zealand, similar to the Aboriginal culture in Australia here. In the 1900s, it was looked down upon; you were beaten up if you spoke the language, so ultimately, my family didn't carry those traditions on, so I grew up not knowing anything about my culture. I made it one of my goals to go out and pursue and learn about my culture, to embrace my culture, and to reclaim my culture for my family.  

"I am still learning my language at the moment. I've got a few books, reading up on what they mean, trying to learn the language here and there. It's really fascinating for me, and I love sharing my culture with other people because, at a point there, it almost died out our culture. For anyone who wants to listen that will hear my story and hear my culture, I'll love to tell them," he said. 

(Rissetto played college basketball at University of North Carolina in Charlotte.)

Rissetto played every sport you can think of while growing up; water polo, rugby, tennis and volleyball to name a few, but his basketball journey began at age 14 when he decided to focus on pursuing a future in just one sport. 

"My mum knew that if I played sport, I would stay out of trouble. She threw me into as many sports as possible because it kept me off the street. It kept me away from doing naughty stuff like when she was younger. If she had gotten into sports, maybe her life would have turned out differently, but she didn't; she lived her life.

"New Zealand has a big culture of playing everything like we are all pretty good athletes back home, so we play everything. Then you get to a certain age, and it's like, okay, pick one, which one you like the most, which one do you think you will be the best at and then go and do that. So ultimately, I was big, I never really played basketball, got to 14, and I was like, 'damn that fella Steven Adams he started late too, might as well give it a crack'," Rissetto said. 

Basketball became a love for Rissetto as he grew to 208cm and enjoyed the competitiveness of the game and the requirement to develop different skill sets for the sport. His Aunty, Brenda Roberts and fellow New Zealander and NBA star Steven Adams also played massive roles in Rissetto's love for the game.

"My Aunty played for New Zealand for many years, and I have heard so many stories. I think she was the first woman to be offered a scholarship to America from New Zealand. She was also the first woman to come to Australia to play in the 80s. 

"And then Steven Adams. When I started this basketball journey, I was 13/14, I had never played before, but I had seen this dude from a similar background as me go and play in the NBA. He was a big inspiration for me. I went to a couple of his camps back home. I was grateful enough to win one of his scholarships to help me out. I am extremely grateful for him to be in that position to help many of us," he explained.

(Rissetto joining in at Phoenix's Rolling Phoenix Heartland Hoops camp.)

Rissetto knows how significant a role model can be for kids with a similar background. He has made it a focus to show young people that there is a light at the end of the tunnel by using the position he is fortunately in to make a kid's day or smile, as you never know what is happening at home for them. 

"For me, if I had a couple of role models that had come up to me and been like, 'hey, do it, you can achieve something in life, you don't have to be stuck in the same life that's always been lived through the environment you have grown up in'. I think I am a great example of that. Ultimately, I want to show everyone that it doesn't matter where you come from, there is always an out; you just got to make that mental switch for yourself. 

"I love getting around the kids and being in the community. If I can just get out there and make their life a bit of joy the next 20 minutes I am with them, that's my ultimate goal. I think in this day and age, there's too much negativity going around in the world. I'm a big dude; I'm a smiley dude; I like bringing laughter around and making people happy because I feel like that's what we need more of in this world. I like to see myself as a role model, but I'm just a normal dude trying to do his best to make this place a little better," commented Rissetto. 

Throughout the NBL23 season, Rissetto took every opportunity and moment that came his way as a blessing. Each day either on or off the court, he took in advice from key leaders in the team, with Mitch Creek, Alan Williams, and fellow Kiwi Reuben Te Rangi being the primary three mentors for Rissetto. The advice and learnings he gathered throughout the season allowed him to develop and become a better player for when his time came to be called onto the court. 

"Creeky and I are very similar; we're very animated, loud, competitive people; it's just in our nature, but also serious when it comes down to it. Having a mentor who understands who I am and who is similar to me helps me a lot. He can empathise with what I am going through, with how I feel at certain points and just help me because Creeky has made it to the top. Just learning from a dude like that is crazy.

"Same with Alan Williams, just really helping me to become a pro, see the little things not being stuck in the small mindset, like I can hoop in New Zealand, so I should be able to hoop over here, that's not going to cut it anymore. I've got to level up my mindset because it's realistically 80/20, 80 mental, 20 physical. The little technique stuff that Al has been teaching me on the court is just crazy. 

"Having another Kiwi dude, another Maori in Reubs to help bring me into this environment. He's played in this league for a long time, so he understands the ins and outs of it, and he's a great player. He's one of the best people to play for our country right now. Learning from all these people is just phenomenal for me and something I will cherish and take fully. It's just a great experience to learn from these guys," he commented.

(Rissetto and Williams hugging at a Phoenix home game.)

Rissetto's high energy on the bench made him an instant fan favourite with the Phoenix. He has become the ultimate hype man for the team, with his infectious personality getting his teammates and the crowd involved in the game. He hopes as time goes on, fans can see his big character resonate on the court as it does off the court.

"I want to get on the court as much as possible and show all the fans; this is who I am on the court as well, you just don't have to see me on the bench. I also understand there is a process; if my number's not called yet, I'm cool with it. I keep learning day in, day out, and when my number is called, I will be ready," he commented.

"Some people take it for granted sometimes. They get to sit on an NBL bench, playing an NBL game, and get paid to play basketball. There are dudes out here working 50-hour weeks, and you get to sit on the edge of a basketball court watching your teammates; who wouldn't be excited about that? I think that people that come from backgrounds like mine understand that. Now I got this opportunity; I'm taking it with everything I have. If that means I've got to get up every single possession, cheer my teammates on, and make all the other opposition crowds hate me and my crowd love me for what I do on the bench, then that's just what I have to do."

Phoenix fans finally got that chance to see that energy on the court when he got his first minutes in Round 8 against the Illawarra Hawks. Late in the game, with 1:42 remaining on the clock, the number 1 jersey was called upon to the roar of the fans at the Fire Pit and from teammates by his side. Rissetto made an immediate impact on the game by getting fouled on twice and hitting 3/4 free throws in his NBL debut.

He went on to play four more games throughout the season, scoring six points in his first year as a professional basketball player.

"To step on the floor for me was really a dream come true! I always wanted to show the Maori/Polynesian kids back home that it is possible and if you want it bad enough, you can do it, no matter your background. To touch the floor in round 8 and score my first NBL points, I think it just exhibits what I wanted to do, and it's just the start of my journey," he reflected. 

Staying at the Phoenix for a further two more seasons, with his second year as a development player, and then a club option for NBL25 as a full-roster player, Rissetto knew it was an easy decision to re-sign with the club that welcomed him with open arms. 

(Rissetto during his first minutes in the NBL.)

"Re-signing with the Phoenix for another two years was a no-brainer for me, to help me continue to grow and become the best version of myself both on and off the court. I can't wait to see what the next two years has in store for us," Rissetto said.

In the off-season, Anzac will play back home in New Zealand in the NZ NBL for the Taranki Airs as he continues to build towards NBL24.

Kadek Thatcher for Phoenix Media (27/03/23)