Emma Risch’s college career has been built on patience, pain and a steady climb back to the floor.
Now a senior guard at Florida State after transferring from Notre Dame ahead of the 2025-26 season, Risch is finally getting the chance to play the game she has been chasing through years of setbacks. Her first two seasons in college were interrupted by injuries, limiting her to seven games as a freshman and 13 as a sophomore with the Fighting Irish.
“I was injured 2 years in a row and it’s just like, being able to accept that and keep on going and keep on trying, a lot of people aren’t able to do that,” Risch said. “And I’m blessed to be able to do that with all the, the injuries that I have had, just being able to stay on the floor, um, and get back on the floor is just what I kind of want to be remembered by.”
Even when she wasn’t playing, Risch says the time away from the court sharpened her understanding of the game. Watching from the sideline, she believes, gave her a better feel for what was happening around her.
“Just being able to watch everything and not being thrown into the fire right away, helped with probably my IQ,” Risch said. “I learned a lot of things without having to actually be on the floor.
Um, but also just just that adversity piece of it, like going through injury, not playing really my 1st 2 years. Um, and just being able to hit the ground running whenever I was.”
Her first season at Florida State showed what she could do when healthy. Risch played in 27 games, scored 181 points and averaged 6.7 points per game. She said last season was the first college year in which she was able to play without injury, and that helped her settle in.
“Then last year was my 1st school year of actually playing um, college basketball without being injured,” Risch said. “Um, and that was kind of just a year to get back on my feet. And then this year, I would say, is really just the year to actually kind of use, like, do what I know I can do, get back to my old self, um, just have fun playing basketball.”
She has started her senior season with a solid rhythm. Risch scored nine points on three 3-pointers against Merrimack, then added three points, two rebounds and a block in Florida State’s 74-63 win over North Florida.
For Risch, the mental side matters just as much as the shot itself. Her approach is simple: move on quickly and trust the next look.
“You missed that shot? Okay, I’m going to make the next one. You can’t just harp on the misses all the time.”
That mindset now extends beyond her own game. As one of the veterans on the roster, Risch wants to help younger teammates handle the bumps that come with college basketball.
“The biggest thing that I try to live by is control, what you can control.”
She also points to head coach Brooke Wyckoff for shaping more than just basketball habits. Risch said Wyckoff puts a premium on academics, personal growth and character.
“I really appreciate that just the whole caring about you outside, making sure you’re taking care of your academics because those are very important,” said Risch. “And just also, like, just be a really, like, she teaches us to just be great people.
Like, we’re being coached by a great person. Um, just the care and that she has for all of us outside of being a player.”
After years spent fighting back from injury, Risch is now in the spot she wanted all along: on the court, contributing, leading and enjoying the game again.
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