From his first dribbles on the Rijole floor to the prestigious Lyon-Villeurbanne training center, the former UOP prodigy continued to successfully climb the ranks. Heading to the NBA?
In basketball, the French team has collected many vintages so far. After 2023 and the well-publicized departure of Victor Wembanyama for the NBA, the French contingent has increased further in 2024 with three new French prospects in the Top 10 of the final draft of the North American major league. And, following in the footsteps of the great Victor, Zaccharie Risacher, the first to be elected in this great annual mass that serves as the NBA’s gateway for the best hope in the world of the orange ball.
An Appamean who has carved out a good reputation as a competitor
But before joining Atlanta, his next destination, the son of Stéphane Risacher has always received several offers from another promising Frenchman who dreams of being part of the French invasion: Killyan Touré. A resident of the ASVEL training center for three seasons where he carved out a good reputation as a fierce competitor, this other great hope of French basketball took his first steps in Pamiers, on the Rijole floor. It was time for those who knew him very young to realize that the Ariège club would soon be too small for his talent.
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Karine Dedieu, who trained him at UOP until he was young (under 13 years old) with Killyan’s mother, remembers him as a boy whose behavior was exemplary; humble and very collective but does not hide a real competitive appetite. A highlight of his time in yellow and black: a dunk in the chicks, already a symbol of the athletic dimension of Killyan who was never part of the giants (1m90 for his current measurements).
Obviously, the sporting and human qualities, necessary for a high level, did not leave the former UOP prodigy. In 2019, Killyan joined Pôle Espoir Occitanie and Union 31 Nord, who regularly engage with the under-15 National Elite teams. Although moving from Ariège to the metropolis of Toulouse, the talent of the former Appamean was not diluted by contact with this new difficulty. Even better, the prestigious ASVEL club, led by Tony Parker, saw great potential in him and brought him to its training center, one of the best in Europe. Again, Killyan’s technique, work and intelligence are evident.
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After a first year of observation and learning, he became one of the cornerstones of the young shoots in the Lyon area. Often invited to tournaments that bring together the best young talents from the European continent, Killyan Touré is always present in his performances. Last summer, during an event organized by the NBA – sorry! –, the former apprentice basketball player from La Rijole received the trophy for the best defender of the competition.
His name has spread across the Atlantic
Now 18 years old (as of July 15), his reputation is well established and his name has spread across the Atlantic. Attracted to the big league, the young leader shakes shoulders every summer with young Americans to better acclimatize in this new continent he wants to conquer.
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At the beginning of June, the big leap became official: Killyan Touré decided to join an American “preparatory school”, which as its name suggests is a kind of preparatory class for those major university basketball programs in the country. One last step to take before joining the great Victor and other NBA stars.