Anissa Rivera has known Temple head coach Diane Richardson since she was a 14-year old kid growing up in Capitol Heights, Maryland. At the time, Richardson had just left her job as CEO of RCI Financial to coach basketball at nearby Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro.
The two formed a bond competing against one another in the Maryland high school scene before they went their separate ways — Rivera went to play college basketball at North Carolina Central in 2019 while Richardson became the women’s basketball head coach at Towson University.
After two seasons, Rivera joined her former mentor at Towson where she averaged 10 points and seven rebounds per game during the 2021-22 season. The reunion was short-lived after Richardson left for Temple at the end of that season and Rivera chose not to follow her.
Rivera’s production took a hit without Richardson during the 2022-23 season and she decided to join the transfer portal after taking a year off to pursue her psychology degree. When Richardson initially reached out, Rivera thought she was done playing basketball. But Richardson was persistent and eventually got Rivera to North Broad, where she quickly fit in and is now expected to play a key role for Temple this upcoming season.
“Even though I haven’t seen [Richardson] in a couple of years we clicked again right away,” Rivera said. “Everybody was all cool, so it just felt like family. We had been through a lot together at Towson, so it was like, you might as well finish with them.”
The skillset Rivera offers will allow her to make an immediate impact for the Owls. The 6-foot, 1-inch forward has always been a capable scorer and strong rebounder — a hole Temple hopes to fill after former forward Rayne Tucker transferred to UAB in the offseason.
Rivera has had a successful college career, racking up more than 1,000 points and sits 262 rebounds away from 1,000 career rebounds, a goal she said she plans on reaching.
Rivera is known for her physical abilities and scrappy style of play on the court, and that playstyle is exactly what Richardson wanted to add to her team. Rivera’s 6-foot, 3-inch wingspan only gives her a bigger advantage on the court.
Rivera also brings her rebounding prowess to the forefront and Richardson has high expectations for her. Despite being separated for two years, the pair have known each other for nearly a decade and Richardson knows what Rivera is capable of.
“I expect her to be a dog, period,” Richardson said. “She’s so unselfish, but my expectation for her is she’s got to be a dog because we need that and we expect that from her.”
Richardson has cultivated an intense playing culture at Temple since she first took the job in 2021. The Owls’ magical 2023-24 season ended in a shared regular season conference title and was built on the energy the players brought to the court. Rivera might be the final piece of the puzzle to complete Richardson’s vision.
Former guard Aleah Nelson was a major factor in enforcing Ricardson’s culture and energy to the court last season. She graduated in May and left the mantle open for someone new to take. Rivera has done just that in her short time on campus.
Rivera has fit in seamlessly since joining the Owls in the offseason, thanks to the relationship with Richardson and the rest of the staff during her time in Towson. Her previous connections made the transition easy and reuniting with guard Tarriyonna Gary made the process painless. She has become an integral part of the team and her skills didn’t take a hit after missing a season.
“She is not afraid to tell younger players what to do,” Gary said. “She is very vocal when she steps on the court and I think that really helps our team.”
Temple is gearing up to follow up its American Athletic Conference regular season title in 2023 and Rivera will play a significant role. Temple was picked to finish eighth in the AAC preseason poll despite a semifinal appearance last year, and Rivera is ready to play her part to prove Temple is ready to exceed expectations.
“We’re definitely using that as motivation because nobody wants to be overlooked,” Rivera said. “We just feel like we’re the underdogs so if people want to think we’re eight we come out being eight and then we are gonna prove them wrong.”
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