Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Five-star guard Emma Risch signs with Notre Dame

Just under a year after she made a verbal commitment to Notre Dame, guard Emma Risch made it official on Wednesday. The 6-2 senior is the sole signee in Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey’s class at this time. 

“Emma is one of the best shooters I’ve seen in a very long time,” Ivey said. “She has an incredible IQ, deep shooting range and elite vision. Her size and ability to score in all three levels separates her and will translate to college basketball immediately. I’m looking forward to the positive impact she will make on our team on and off the court. We can’t wait to welcome her to South Bend!”

Risch, who attends Melbourne (Fla.) Palm Bay, recently made the greatest jump in the latest ESPN 2023 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings; she was previously No. 64 nationally and now checks in at No. 20, making her a five-star recruit. She is the eighth-ranked player in the class classified as a guard by ESPN.

“The Notre Dame commit had a fantastic summer shooting the basketball,” ESPN’s Shane Laflin said. “With improved strength and overall fitness, the 6-foot-1 Risch elevated her ability to create space, relocate and make shots. Risch, who plays for Palm Bay High School (Florida) and East Coast United, has a court awareness that makes teammates around her better; in turn, it aids her ability to hunt long-range shot-making opportunities. She has potential to be an All-American.”

A versatile guard who brings height to the backcourt, Risch averaged 20.5 points, 6.9 rebound, 4.0 assists and 3.1 steals per game in 26 starts as a junior. The 6-2 Florida native had a 45 percent success rate from behind the arc as well. 

In addition to basketball, Risch competes on the golf team for her high school and plays travel basketball for East Coast United. She is also a top-10 student in her class and boasts a 4.23 GPA. 

Risch is the latest in a long line of high-level guards to make the pledge to Notre Dame. Current freshman KK Bransford joined the Irish this year and is the only rookie on the team. The 5-11 guard was the No. 29 player in the nation in the Class of 2022.