With the 2022 NBL basketball season tipping off soon, the Pukekohe-based Franklin Bulls are expecting to see one of their new additions dominate the paint.
After taking his talents to the South Island last year, 21-year-old big man Anzac Rissetto, of Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou and Te Āti Awa, has returned to his native South Auckland, lacing up for the Franklin Bulls.
“Anzac is a physically dominating presence. He's 6'10 and his attitude is right where it needs to be right now,” says Bulls head coach Morgan Maskell.
After playing a season for Nelson Giants last year, Rissetto says he is home now and psyched up for whatever comes his way.
“My role in the team is to pretty much do all the nitty-gritty stuff, the stuff that other people don't want to do, and just whatever my teammates need me to do, and my coaches asked me to do, I get it done.”
Rissetto started playing basketball at the age of 14 and after High School, played a season for the Wellington Saints before heading to the University of Charlotte for two seasons. He says there is a stark difference between the level of competition in the USA compared to Aotearoa.
“The main difference between playing here and in America is probably the level of athleticism they have over there. A lot of the guys are pretty athletic; they get up and down the floor pretty quick, and they get quite high off the ground,” he says.
Their first game is on the 7th of May against the Southland Sharks at the Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre.