The EuroCup Rising Star and Bourg forward caught up with Javier Gancedo ahead of Game 1.
Bourg's Zaccharie Risacher, Isiaha Mike are ready to shine in the EuroCup Finals
The BKT EuroCup Finals are upon us, with an all-French affair seeing Paris Basketball host Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse at Adidas Arena in Game 1 tonight, and the visiting side's forward duo Isiaha Mike and Zaccharie Risacher have not hidden their excitement.
Few expected Bourg to be where it is today, preparing for the EuroCup Finals. But the team playing in its fourth consecutive season in the competition took it one step at the time, plowing through all the obstacles, and will now fight for the EuroCup crown.
"It means everything, it is a big accomplishment for everybody," Risacher tells Javier Gancedo of EuroCupBasketball.net. "It means a lot for all my teammates, all the coaches and the city. It is a great thing for us."
Risacher's big goal
Risacher, who turned 19 a day before Game 1, is a freshly crowned EuroCup Rising Star award winner. And as much as he is pleased with the honor, he has something even bigger on his mind.
"It is cool, I am glad I won [the Rising Star award], but I am not going to lie, I want to win the final, that's all that matters to me right now," Risacher says. "It's the best [birthday] gift I could ever wish for."
Watch the rest of the interview below to catch Risacher's comments on preparing for Game 1 against Paris.
His teammate, Isiaha Mike, has been Bourg's leader in scoring (12.8 ppg.), and has been voted to the All-EuroCup First Team.
"I am honored, honestly," Mike states about the All-EuroCup honor. "This year has been tremendous, we had a really good season so far."
The next step to making the season even better is by beating Paris in the finals.
The key to beating Paris
"They have a really tight-knit group, their chemistry is at an all-time high," Mike notes about Bourg's finals opponent. "But I feel like if we slow their transition and keep them off the offensive glass, they are going to have trouble."
Mike does not hide his excitement about playing in the final series.
"This is what we live for, this is what we dream for," he says. "A lot of hours in the gym, and now we have a chance to lift the trophy. Hopefully, we can get it done."
Watch the rest of the interview with Isiaha Mike below.