'World's tallest teen' 7-9 Olivier Rioux has room to grow in Florida basketball system

‘World’s tallest teen’ 7-9 Olivier Rioux has room to grow in Florida basketball system

Posted by Admin September 24, 2024 Basketball

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At 6-foot-4, Florida basketball shooting guard Will Richard more often than not is one of the tallest of his peers on campus.

Richard wasn’t used to looking up at many people, until he met Florida Gators freshman preferred walk-on center Olivier Rioux, who stands at 7-9.

“Man, it was crazy,” Richard said. “Not gonna lie. I’ve never seen anyone that tall. I definitely … when I am out in public, I try not to stand next to him. I don’t want to look like a small person.”

Rioux arrived at UF last summer after playing last season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, where he showed promise developing as a basketball player. He was billed as the world’s tallest teen last spring when he measured at 7-6 and has since sprouted three inches. Per UF’s roster, Rioux weighs in at 305 pounds.

Florida assistant basketball coach Carlin Hartman recruited Rioux, and head coach Todd Golden offered him a spot on the team as a preferred walk-on.

“He is a great kid,” Golden said. “Love his parents, and when they showed interest in coming here as a preferred walk-on, it was kind of a no-brainer for us. In the sense of, it’s a low-risk, high-reward opportunity for everybody.

“I think we have great resources, facilities. We feed our guys really well, you know, him being 7-9, just having all those resources think was really important to him. And you know, we’ve seen guys like (7-4) Zach Edey, (7-6) Tacko Fall, have really, really good success at some point in their career.

“Obviously, it takes a while, though, and so because of his mindset and his willingness to come in and work, we felt like it was a worthwhile investment on both sides. So, I’m not sure how much he’ll play for us this year. If he’s helping us this year, he’s gotten really, really good. But he’s a guy that I anticipate will continue to grow and at some point, help move the needle for us.”

How did Olivier Rioux look in Florida basketball’s first practice

Rioux took part in some drills and sat out others. Getting up and down the floor consistently with speed right now is Rioux’s biggest hurdle, but he can catch the ball in the post and his size presents issues to opposing players driving to the rim.

“You’re not used to shooting over someone who’s 7-foot-9,” Florida guard Alijah Martin said. “Nobody’s really used to shooting over someone who’s 7-foot-9, so, he’s definitely helping the team, for sure. “

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1