Olivier Rioux is the tallest college basketball player of all-time. The true freshman at the University of Florida might also be the most interesting developmental project in the sport’s history.
Scratch that— he is the most interesting project in D1 hoops.
Rioux is not ready to play 20 minutes per game in a starting role. In fact, it would be a huge win if the Gators can get him on the floor in any capacity next season. A redshirt year is likely.
However, head basketball coach Todd Golden and his staff are very excited to mold him into a star.
We look at him as a long-term investment, where if he continues to buy into our program and our coaches and our system that he will continue to develop into a player who can help us consistently. He’s not there yet and it might take him a while, but he’s definitely one of the most unique players in America.
— Todd Golden
Unique is a great word to describe Rioux. He is the Guinness World Record holder for tallest teenager and has dominated much smaller opponents for a very long time.
Olivier Rioux played at IMG Academy in Florida and represented his home country of Canada during international play in the spring. Other Division-I opponents could not stop him on either end of the court.
With a mind-boggling high school career behind him, Rioux’s first year in Gainesville got underway with summer workouts. Florida listed its incoming freshman at 7-foot-9 (in shoes), which puts him much closer to eight feet tall than seven! He makes his teammates look miniscule.
The same goes for his coaches!
You can’t teach height. Rioux has all of the intangibles, and he actually moves pretty well for his size.
However, Golden and the Gators staff put an emphasis on the little things in an effort to make him even better. They have him running basic Mikan drills, low-post routines that put an emphasis on footwork, strong hands and finishing strong at the rim.
Perhaps most importantly, Rioux is running. A lot.
They are emphasizing cardio, which isn’t the best for me right now. But we’re working out, working on things. We’re trying but need more.
— Olivier Rioux
All of the on-court skills are important, but getting Rioux ready for college basketball from a physical standpoint is an even bigger priority.
My expectations for Olivier are to get him in the best shape of his life, and that’s going to take some time He’s never been pushed to this point in his basketball journey, so his best chance to have success is if he gets in fantastic shape and learns how to run and change directions, whether that’s offense-to-defense or defense-to-offense. Just being able to transition back and forth, up and down the court.
— UF associate head coach Carlin Hartman
Although it seems unlikely, Golden is not going to say that Olivier Rioux won’t play as a freshman. But Florida isn’t in a rush to get him on the court. Patience will be key with his development!