Nico Carvacho

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Nico Carvacho

| image = Carvacho.JPG

| image_size =

| caption = Carvacho with Würzburg Baskets in 2023

| number = 32

| position = Power forward / center

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 11

| weight_lb = 245

| league = LPB

| team = Benfica

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1997|1|24}}

| birth_place = Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

| nationality = American / Chilean

| high_school =

Frisco (Frisco, Texas)
Sunrise Christian Academy
(Bel Aire, Kansas)

| college = Colorado State (2016–2020)

| draft_year = 2020

| career_start = 2020

| years1 = 2020–2021

| team1 = Rilski Sportist

| years2 = 2021–2023

| team2 = s.Oliver Würzburg

| years3 = 2023–2024

| team3 = MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza

| years4 = 2024–

| team4 = Benfica

| highlights =

Portuguese League champion (2025)
Bulgarian Cup champion (2021)
Bulgarian Cup MVP (2021)
NCAA rebounding leader (2019)
First-team All-Mountain West (2019)
Second-team All-Mountain West (2020)
Mountain West All-Defensive Team (2019)

}}

Nicolás Eduardo "Nico" Carvacho Bibb (born January 24, 1997) is a Chilean-American professional basketball player for Benfica of the LPB. He played college basketball for Colorado State.

Early life

Carvacho was born in Nashville, Tennessee.{{cite web | url=https://csurams.com/sports/basketball/roster/nico-carvacho/5329 | title=@fullname - Men's Basketball }}{{cite web | url=https://www.9news.com/article/sports/why-i-left-my-fathers-game-the-nico-carvacho-story/73-507005781 | title=Why I Left My Father's Game: The Nico Carvacho Story | date=10 January 2018 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/csu/mens-basketball/2016/12/02/nico-carvacho-growing-up-quickly-colorado-state/94809748/ | title=Nico Carvacho growing up quickly at Colorado State }} He is the son of Nicole and Eddie Carvacho, a professional soccer coach. Growing up, Carvacho preferred playing soccer to basketball, which he began playing at the age of nine. When he was 15, he moved to his father's native country of Chile to join a soccer club. After five months, he returned to Frisco, Texas and decided to focus on basketball. As a junior at Frisco High School, Carvacho averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds per game and helped the team to a 19–12 record.{{cite news |title=CSU basketball adds three on first day of early signing period |url=https://www.kktv.com/sports/headlines/CSU-basketball-adds-three-on-first-day-of-early-signing-period-282518751.html |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |work=KKTV |date=November 12, 2014}} He transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy for his senior season. Carvacho committed to Colorado State, one of the few schools to offer him a scholarship.{{cite news |last1=Kurtzman |first1=Rich |title=From soccer stud to CSU's best big man: Nico Carvacho's excelled in a short time |url=https://milehighsports.com/from-soccer-stud-to-csus-best-big-man-nico-carvachos-excelled-in-a-short-time/ |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |work=Mile High Sports |date=December 27, 2018}}

College career

Carvacho redshirted his freshman season. As a redshirt freshman, his game was raw and he picked up quick fouls but showed signs of great rebounding ability. He ended his sophomore season with 16 straight double-doubles. As a sophomore, Carvacho averaged 9.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for the Rams. After the season, coach Larry Eustachy was fired and Carvacho explored transferring.{{cite news |last1=Lytle |first1=Kevin |title=Carvacho granted permission to speak to other schools |url=https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/csu/mens-basketball/2018/03/15/csus-nico-carvacho-says-hell-explore-possibility-transferring/430713002/ |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |work=The Coloradoan |date=March 15, 2018}} He received attention from several high-major schools such as Oklahoma and Wisconsin, but ultimately returned to Colorado State.{{cite news |last1=Keeler |first1=Sean |title=Why Colorado State's Nico Carvacho said farewell to Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt and hello to the Rams' record book |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/03/12/nico-carvacho-rams-wisconsin-badgers-basketball-oklahoma-sooners-vanderbilt-commodores-colorado-state-transfer/ |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |work=Denver Post |date=March 12, 2019}}

On December 22, 2018, Carvacho had 23 points and a career-high 22 rebounds in a 64–61 loss to Long Beach State.{{cite news |title=Booker, Byers clutch as Long Beach edges Colorado St 64–61 |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401087270 |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=December 22, 2018}} After averaging 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in wins over Air Force and New Mexico, Carvacho was named Mountain West Conference player of the week on January 14, 2019.{{cite news |last1=Nguyen |first1=Joe |title=Colorado State's Nico Carvacho named Mountain West Men's Basketball Player of the Week |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2019/01/14/colorado-state-nico-carvacho-mountain-west-mens-basketball-player-of-the-week/ |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |work=Denver Post |date=January 14, 2019}} On February 12, Carvacho surpassed Pat Durham as the all-time leading rebounder at Colorado State. He tied the Mountain West rebounds mark in the season finale.{{cite news |last1=Barnard |first1=Colin |title=CSU basketball's Nico Carvacho named first-team All-Mountain West by media |url=https://www.reporterherald.com/2019/03/11/csu-basketballs-nico-carvacho-named-first-team-all-mountain-west-by-media/ |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |work=Loveland Reporter-Herald |date=March 11, 2019}} He was named to the First Team All-Mountain West as well as to the league Defensive Team.{{cite press release|url=https://themw.com/news/2019/3/12/mountain-west-announces-2018-2019-mens-basketball-all-conference-team.aspx |title=Mountain West announces 2018–2019 men's basketball All-conference team |publisher=Mountain West Conference |date=March 12, 2019 |accessdate=March 12, 2019}} He averaged 16.1 points and an NCAA Division I-leading 12.9 rebounds per game, and his 409 rebounds broke the school single-season record. After the season, he declared for the 2019 NBA draft but ended up returning to the Rams.{{cite news |last1=Herz |first1=Eddie |title=Nico Carvacho declares for 2019 NBA Draft |url=https://247sports.com/college/colorado-state/Article/The-center-announced-his-intentions-to-test-the-draft-waters-following-his-historic-redshirt-junior-season-131420138/ |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |work=247 Sports |date=April 22, 2019}}

Coming into his senior season, Carvacho was named to the preseason First Team All-Mountain West.{{cite news |last1=Herz |first1=Eddie |title=Nico Carvacho earns preseason All-MW honors, CSU hoops slated ninth as a team |url=https://www.reporterherald.com/2019/10/15/nico-carvacho-earns-preseason-all-mw-honors-csu-hoops-slated-ninth-as-a-team/ |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |work=Loveland Reporter-Herald |date=October 15, 2019}} On November 5, Carvacho became the Mountain West Conference all-time leading rebounder, grabbing 11 in a win over Denver. He surpassed Jordan Caroline’s 958 career mark.{{cite news|last=Zahlmann|first=Luke|title=Rams Open Season With Solid Victory Over Denver|url= https://csurams.com/news/2019/11/5/mens-basketball-rams-open-season-with-solid-victory-over-denver.aspx|accessdate=January 18, 2020 |work=Colorado State Rams|date=November 5, 2019}} At the conclusion of the regular season, Carvacho was named to the Second Team All-Mountain West.{{cite press release|url=https://themw.com/news/2020/3/3/mountain-west-announces-2019-20-mens-basketball-all-conference-team.aspx |title=Mountain West Announces 2019–20 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team |publisher=Mountain West Conference |date=March 3, 2020 |accessdate=March 3, 2020}} As a senior, Carvacho averaged 12.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game and had 14 double-doubles.{{cite news |last1=Herz |first1=Eddie |title=Nico Carvacho honored as NABC All-District first-team member |url=https://www.reporterherald.com/2020/03/23/nico-carvacho-honored-as-nabc-all-district-first-team-member/ |accessdate=March 24, 2020 |work=Reporter Herald |date=March 23, 2020}}

Professional career

On September 12, 2020, Carvacho signed his first professional contract with Rilski Sportist of the Bulgarian National Basketball League.{{cite news |title=Nico Carvacho signs with Rilski Sportist |url=https://sportando.basketball/en/nico-carvacho-signs-with-rilski-sportist/ |website=Sportando |accessdate=September 12, 2020 |date=September 12, 2020}} Carvacho had a great season in the Bulgarian basketball league National Basketball League and was named as best import player and best center of the Bulgarian season 2020–21.{{cite web |title=Nicolas Carvacho besetzt die Center-Position |url=https://www.soliver-wuerzburg.de/news/newsdetails/nicolas-carvacho-besetzt-die-center-position |website=soliver-wuerzburg.de |language=De |accessdate=July 16, 2021 |date=July 16, 2021}} He also wheeled Rislki to its third-ever Bulgarian Basketball Cup title and was given MVP honours.{{cite web | url=https://bgbasket.com/new.php?id=88744 | title=Нико Карвачо е MVP на Купата | date=15 March 2021 | accessdate=18 March 2021 | website=bgbasket.com}}

On July 16, 2021, Carvacho signed with s.Oliver Würzburg of the German Basketball Bundesliga.

In July 2024, Carvacho signed with Benfica of the LPB.{{cite news |last1=Vera |first1=Pablo |title=El gran salto de una figura chilena: fichó en el Benfica |url=https://chile.as.com/masdeporte/el-gran-salto-de-una-figura-chilena-ficho-en-el-benfica-n/ |access-date=30 July 2024 |work=Diario AS |date=30 July 2024 |language=es}}

National team career

Carvacho is a current member of the Chilean men's national basketball team.{{Cite web|url=https://www.febachile.cl/2021/07/08/santander-anuncia-la-nomina-para-el-preclasificatorio/|title=Febachile}} In 2013, Carvacho competed for Chile at the FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship in Maldonado, Uruguay, where his team finished in fifth place. In the following year, he represented Chile at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament, an under-18 tournament held in Mannheim, Germany. Carvacho played for the senior team of Chile in the 2016 South American Basketball Championship in Caracas, Venezuela and was named Honorable Mention All-Tournament.