7-foot-9 Florida Center Olivier Rioux Makes Historic College Hoops Debut
During halftime of Florida’s decisive victory over Northern Florida on Thursday night, coach Todd Golden overheard fans urging him to play redshirt freshman Olivier Rioux. Fans had eagerly awaited over a year to see the 7-foot-9 player take the court, hoping to witness the tallest player in college basketball history in action.
“The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even the fans.”
Golden responded, “I said, ‘Listen, it will happen, the time will come.’ I can be stubborn. I don’t listen to direction very well at times, so when they’re yelling at me to do it, it’s kinda like, ‘Well, maybe I’ll wait a little longer.’”
With 2:09 left in the game and Florida leading comfortably, chants of “We Want Ollie” filled the arena. Finally, Golden agreed. Rioux stood up, walked to the scorer’s table, and was met with enthusiastic cheers from the crowd as he officially became the tallest player to ever compete in college basketball.
Rioux played two minutes in the 104-64 win but did not record any statistics.
“I think everybody supported, and I’m very grateful.”
Florida's victory and Rioux’s debut reflect the excitement and anticipation surrounding this historic moment for the team and college basketball.
Author’s summary: Olivier Rioux, standing 7-foot-9, made history as the tallest player in college basketball during Florida’s commanding win, earning enthusiastic support from fans and teammates alike.
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