Florida Gators‘โฃ 7-foot-5 โRioux Makes College Basketball Debut, Claiming Title ofโค Tallest Player
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a moment celebratedโฃ by teammates and fans alike,7-foot-5 olivier Rioux of the University of Florida men’s basketball team madeโฃ his collegiate debut saturday,becoming the tallest player in NCAAโข Division I basketball โคhistory.The redshirt freshman checked into the Gators’ game against Kennesaw State in the โfinal minutes,โค receiving a standing ovation rivaled only by the pre-game banner unveiling for Florida’s championship team.
Rioux’sโ appearance marksโ a significant moment โขnot only for the Gators โprogram โbutโฃ for college basketball itself. The Canadian native โhas โspent โคtheโข past two years developing with the team, and his debutโค signifies โa potentialโค shift in โขthe landscapeโ of the sport,โฃ introducingโ an unprecedented physical presence. Florida coach Todd Goldenโข emphasized the importance of buildingโ a agreeable lead to provide opportunities for younger players โขlike Rioux,stating,”It wasโค pretty neatโค for him to finally โsee the floor.”
The game was well in hand, allowing Golden to grant Rioux the possibility. “Obviously the game was in our control and thoght it would be a good opportunity to get him out ther and get his first college experience, and I think โคhe was pretty excited,” golden said.While Rioux did not record โany statistics in his brief appearance,โ the โฃimpact was felt throughout the arena.โค
Teammate โMicah Handlogten offered words of encouragement as Rioux prepared to โขenterโ theโ game. “I kind ofโ stopped him and I was like, ‘Play with โconfidence. You’ve worked your buttโข off for two years now to get โคto this spot.Now’s โฃyour moment. This is your โtime to shine.'” Handlogten noted Rioux was “running up and down the court โฃwith a little smile on his face.”
Rioux’s height surpassesโ that of previous notable tall players โขin collegeโค basketball, including 7-foot-4 Chuck โNevitt (North Carolina โฃState) โandโฃ 7-foot-4 Mark Eaton (Purdue). hisโค presence is expected to present unique challenges for โopposing teams, both offensively andโค defensively. The Gators โฃwill continue their seasonโ with upcoming โgames, providing further opportunities for Riouxโ to develop and contribute to the team.