The most accurate three-point shooter in EuroCup history has handed the captaincy to Hugo Benitez and is already thinking about the future
Face of Bourg franchise Maxime Courby: Last season was ‘magical’, but end is coming soon
Player Spotlight
10 Mins read
Maxime Courby is not only the BKT EuroCup’s deadliest three-point shooter this season, but the face of the Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse franchise ranks first all-time in competition history for long-range accuracy. But slowly he is thinking about calling it a day – starting with handing over the captaincy.
The 34-year-old Courby has been with Bourg since 2015, signing with the team from east-central France when they were still in the second division ProB. And his journey with the club crescendoed last season by reaching the EuroCup Finals, where it lost to Paris Basketball.
“It was magical because when I signed with Bourg, we grew up fast,” Courby told David Hein. “It was amazing because we are a small city, so everybody talked about the EuroCup games every week. When I signed with Bourg, the first two years we were in ProB. And now they talk about us everywhere in Europe. We reached a level that we were not supposed to. And it's amazing.”
All this was not really part of the plan for Courby, who hails from Roubaix in northern France.
“When I signed, the goal was just to move up to ProA and stay there,” he said. “Now the goal is to each year be second, third or fourth in the championship so we are close to AS Monaco, Paris and [LDLC] ASVEL [Villeuerbanne]. We are a big, big team in France now.
“I could not have imagined when I signed 10 years ago that we would reach this level. It was a really big dream for me to play at this level. But I never imagined playing in the EuroCup in Bourg-en-Bresse. For me, it was just a step. And afterward, I would try to find another club to play at this level.”
Courby has now totaled 74 appearances for Bourg in the EuroCup, dating back to the 2020-21 season. He has connected on 79 of 159 three-pointers in his EuroCup career for a breathtaking 49.7% clip. That is top all-time, with Jurica Ruzic ranking second at 48.3% followed by Sergei Chikalkin at 48.2%.
“I can’t believe that because when I was young, I didn’t have a good shooting form and I worked [on it] a lot,” he added. “And it's just about working, because it was not natural at the beginning. I don't shoot a lot; I have a good selection of my shots so maybe that's why I have a high percentage. But it's a lot of work.”
Despite turning 34 on November 23, Courby is actually having his best shooting season thus far – hitting 11 of 16 three-point attempts for 71.4% in 11 games. That comes after he had his poorest shooting season last year.
After making 50.7%, 64% and 42.9% respectively his first three seasons in the EuroCup, Courby connected on just 26.3% in 2023-24.
“I think it was just a mental thing because I was not in a good shape mentally last season to reach the high percentages than I had before,” he commented “I was sometimes mad because I didn't play, so it was tough last season. When you don't play some big games, you are naturally a bit sad.”
Courby’s mind was also preoccupied with another matter last year. At the end of last season, he received his coaching degree. The veteran also worked last season as an assistant coach for Bourg’s U21 team that won the French championship.
“It was a really good experience for me,” he stated. “It's another way of looking at basketball. It's not the same when we are players as when you are outside of the court. It's really interesting. When I come back to my home, it's not the same. We think about basketball differently. It's interesting to prepare the practice for the young teams. It's really different. So it was a good experience.”
Another big difference between this season and last is that Courby is no longer the team captain. He handed that honor over to Hugo Benitez. The team’s starting point guard will turn 24 in January but has been with the club since starting in the youth ranks in 2016.
"It was natural to give the captain armband to Hugo,” Courby said of Benitez, who has now played in 72 EuroCup games, all with Bourg. “He's the new generation. He's really talented. He's our point guard. He has been playing all the time – not just for a few weeks – and is in the starting five. He's important for us. So for me, it's normal.”
Courby is slowly wondering how much longer he will play the game. In October 2023 he agreed to a contract extension until 2026.
When asked if he plans on playing after that, he said: “That’s the question I don’t know at the moment. If my health is good, maybe I can keep playing, but I don't know.”
About the possibility of something in coaching, he mentioned: “If the club proposes me something...”
Until then, Courby will just continue to knock down those three-pointers.