Former Brevard Prep Basketball Wunderkind Emma Risch Transfers from Notre Dame to Florida State

Emma Risch will join the Florida State Seminoles as a junior for the 2025-26 season

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA—Florida State head coach Brooke Wyckoff announced the signing of Brevard native Emma Risch, who will join the Seminoles as a junior for the 2025-26 season after spending two seasons at Notre Dame.  

Risch, a 6-1 guard from Melbourne, was named a 2023 McDonald’s All-American and 4A Player of the Year before signing with the Fighting Irish.

“I am thrilled to welcome Emma Risch back home to Florida and into our Seminole Family,” Wyckoff said on Seminoles.com.

“Emma was a highly decorated high school basketball player and comes to us with two years of college basketball experience playing at the highest level.  She is a talented, versatile scorer and has great size and length that will make an impact on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.   Emma is an extremely hard worker and loves the game. She knows what it takes to win at the highest level and is a perfect fit in the culture of our program. I am excited for our fans to get to know Emma and see what she brings to our team on and off the court!”

After she became a two-time state champion at Florida Prep Academy in Melbourne, she attended Palm Bay High School, where she helped lead the Pirates to the state championship in 2021, averaging 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists per contest. Over her last two years in high school, she would take it up a notch each year, averaging 21/7/4 as a junior and 23/6/5 her senior year.

Risch joined the varsity in seventh grade in 2017 and scored 2,767 points, 697 rebounds, 360 assists, 300 steals, and 569 three-pointers throughout her prep career. She earned nine varsity letters, six in basketball, two in golf, and one in softball.

Risch was the MVP of the 2019 Blackeberg Cup Tournament in Sweden. She also played AAU with East Coast United and was a BlueStar 30 selection.

After her outstanding high school career concluded, she was named a McDonald’s All-American, which goes to only the top 25 players in the nation. She was also a BallisLife All-American and even won the three-point contest against other top-ranked girls.

Her play on the court earned her national recognition. She was a Naismith All-American honorable mention and was one of the top players across the nation.

Out of all the top schools nationwide that offered her scholarships, she chose Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have historically been very successful in sports, especially women’s basketball, reaching the national championship seven times and winning twice.

Risch appeared in only seven games during her Freshman season with the Fighting Irish, scoring a career-high 16 points in a game against Chicago State. She was averaging five points a game before having season-ending hip surgery.

Coming back in her sophomore season, Risch looked to have a breakout year and started off the season well, scoring in double figures on multiple occasions. She notched her career high of 23 points against Eastern Michigan after hitting seven three-pointers, making her just the sixth player in program history to have hit six three-pointers in a game.

Unfortunately for Risch, her season would once again be cut short after she reinjured her hip and needed season-ending surgery.

Although injuries have plagued her for two seasons, Risch will be back on the court for her junior year, this time as a Seminole, as she looks to help FSU have another successful season and advance further through the NCAA tournament.

Wyckoff said that with the addition of Risch, FSU has five members in the 2025 signing class, including Mari Gerton, Solé Williams, Pania Davis, and Jasmine Shavers.

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