GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Todd Golden had people screaming at him at halftime Thursday night to land the 7-foot-9 center. Olivier Riou in the game.
Golden conceded with 2:09 to play — and made history in the process — after chants of “We want Ollie” echoed through the O'Connell Center.
Rioux became the tallest man to ever play college basketball when he made his debut in a 104–64 win over North Florida. Rioux, a 19-year-old redshirt freshman from Terrebonne, Que., and the world's tallest teenager, drew so much attention from the Ospreys that he didn't even touch the ball.
“It was great,” Rioux said. “The support from everyone has been amazing, even from the bench and even the fans. I think everyone has supported me. I'm very grateful.”
When asked about making history, Rioux joked, “I guess that's for another day.”
Riu made everyone present smile. Even North Florida forward Trey Cady grinned when comparing himself to Rioux. Cady gave up more than a foot in the match.
“People yell at me at halftime because I'm playing him,” Golden said. “I was like, ‘Listen, this is going to happen. The time will come.”
Rio is 2 inches (5 centimeters) taller than former NBA giants Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol and 3 inches taller than popular big men Yao Ming, Tacko Fall and Sean Bradley. He already held a place in the Guinness Book of World Records when he signed with Florida in 2024.
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Golden gave Rioux the option to play sparingly last season or take a redshirt season and work on his game. Riu chose the latter. Still, he was a walking viral video, from riding his bike around campus to ducking under every doorway and cutting through nets while standing on his feet during the NCAA Tournament in Florida.
“He did a great job,” Golden said. “To his credit, he maintained a great attitude without being rewarded much in terms of playing time and opportunities.”
Golden made it clear that Rioux would only play late because of the departures due to all four frontcourt players returning. But Olivier reiterated his desire to be in Florida and welcomed the opportunity to play against Alex Condon, Thomas Ho, Ruben Cignelu and Mika Handlogten in training and behind them in games.
“I was talking to the guys at halftime when we turned 24 and I told them how important it was to start really strong so we could give some of the younger guys and some of the guys off the bench an opportunity to play and get a little bit of a break,” Golden said. “Obviously we had the game under our control and we thought it would be a good opportunity to get him out there and get his first college experience and I think he was pretty excited.
“It was really nice for him to finally see the floor.”
The fans gave the game's loudest ovation — second only to Florida, which unveiled its championship banner during the pregame introduction — when Golden motioned to Rioux, who was sitting at the end of the bench. Riu took off his long-sleeve T-shirt and hurried to the scorer's desk to register.
Teammates and coaches celebrated wildly and fans cheered every time the ball came close to Rio. He'll have to wait until his next walk to touch it.
“So much fun,” Handlogten said. “When he was checking the game, I kind of stopped him and said, ‘Play confident. You've worked hard for two years to get to this place. Now is your moment. It's your time to shine.”
“It was really nice to see him running up and down the court with a little smile on his face.”
© 2025 The Canadian Press
