Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce that Zaccharie Risacher of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse has been voted as the EuroCup Rising Star for the 2023-24 season. In a year with exceptional young talent throughout the competition, Risacher was chosen as this season’s Rising Star by the competition’s head coaches. The EuroCup Rising Star Trophy recognizes the most outstanding player in the competition who was younger than 22 years of age on July 1 of the summer before the season started.
Risacher, who turns 19 on April 8, is the second-youngest player to win the EuroCup Rising Star award. Dzanan Musa of Cedevita Zagreb was exactly a month younger than Risacher when he was chosen as the 2017-18 Rising Star. Nadir Hifi of Paris Basketball came in second in this season’s voting and Juan Nunez of ratiopharm Ulm was third.
The Rising Star Trophy is among the awards given in recognition of the EuroCup’s finest each season for their efforts on the basketball court. The head coaches will also choose one of their peers as the EuroCup Coach of the Year. The BKT All-EuroCup teams and the season’s MVP – for whom fans, team captains and media also voted – will be announced right before the start of the 2024 BKT EuroCup Finals, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday between Paris Basketball and Bourg.
Risacher helped Bourg reach the EuroCup Finals for the first time in club history by averaging 11.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and a PIR of 10.0 in less than 24 minutes per night. He led all EuroCup players in regular season in three-point percentage, hitting 32 of his 57 shots from downtown (56.1%). Risacher scored 20 points or more four times throughout the season, getting a season-high 22 points in Round 22 against 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys. His combination of size, quickness and athleticism allowed him to become Bourg’s x-factor, helping his team finish first in Group B with a 14-4 record and eliminate Prometey Slobozhanske and Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul to storm into the finals.
Born in Malaga, Spain, Risacher’s father Stephane was also a professional basketball player who won domestic titles with Unicaja Malaga, Olympiacos Piraeus and PSG Racing, as well as getting an Olympics silver medal with France at Sydney 2000. The younger Risacher grew up with LDLC ASVEL and made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut with this team in the 2021-22 season. After winning the French League and the French Leaders Cup with ASVEL, Risacher made his EuroCup debut with Bourg this season.
Risacher is the first French player to win the EuroCup Rising Star award. Olek Balcerowski and Bojan Dubljevic were chosen as EuroCup Rising Star trophy winners twice. Dubljevic received the award with Valencia in 2013 and 2014. Balcerowski got it in 2022 and 2023.
The list of Rising Star trophy winners also includes Milan Macvan of Hemofarm Vrsac in 2009, Victor Claver of Power Electronics Valencia in 2010, Donatas Motiejunas of Benetton Treviso in 2011, Jonas Valanciunas of Lietuvos Rytas in 2012, Kristaps Porzingis of Baloncesto Seville in 2015, Mateusz Ponitka of Stelmet Zielona Gora in 2016, Rolands Smits of Montakit Fuenlabrada in 2017, Dzanan Musa of Cedevita Zagreb in 2018, Martynas Echodas of Rytas Vilnius in 2019 and Khalifa Diop of Gran Canaria in 2022.
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