7-foot-9 Florida center Olivier Rioux makes historic college hoops debut
During halftime of Florida’s decisive win over Northern Florida, coach Todd Golden heard fans urging him to play redshirt freshman Olivier Rioux. Fans had eagerly awaited over a year to see the 7-foot-9 player, the tallest in college basketball history, take the court for the Gators.
“The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even the fans.”
Golden explained his reluctance to immediately put Rioux in the game: “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 and Florida comfortably ahead, along with “We Want Ollie” chants filling the arena, Golden finally agreed. Rioux stood up, walked to the scorer’s table, and received enthusiastic applause, officially becoming the tallest player ever in collegiate basketball.
He played two minutes during the 104-64 victory for the defending champions but did not record any statistics.
“I think everybody supported, and I’m very grateful.”
Olivier Rioux’s debut marks a memorable moment in college basketball history, highlighting both fan enthusiasm and patience from the coaching staff.