GAINESVILLE — Florida’s 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux made his long-awaited, hard-earned debut to become the tallest player in college basketball history.
With the No. 3 Gators 104-64 win against North Florida well in hand, many among a reported crowd of 10,065 began to chant, “Oli, Oli, Oli,” — the nicknamed given the world’s tallest teenager and fan favorite despite having not played since he arrived in the summer of 2024.
Coach Todd Golden answered the calls, with UF leading 102-61 and 2:09 remaining Thursday night at the O’Connell Center.
“It felt great,” the 19-year-old Canadian said. “The support from everybody was amazing. Even on the bench and even with the fans. Everybody supported me. I’m very grateful.”
Even though he didn’t score or grab a rebound, Rioux made history as the tallest player to get on the court, surpassing 7-foot-7 Kenny George, who played at UNC Asheville in 2006-08.
“It’s another day, I guess,” said Rioux, a campus-wide curiosity routinely is approached for photos, autographs or conversation.
Rioux’s teammates were ecstatic to see him get his chance, especially his good friend Micah Handlogten, who has joked that even at 7-foot-1 he fells small next to his towering teammate.
“So much fun,” Handlogten said of the moment. “When he was checking into the game, I kind of stopped him and I was like, ‘Play with confidence. You worked your butt off for two years now to get to this spot. Now’s your moment. It’s your time to shine.’
“Seeing him out there running up and down the court with a little smile on his face, it was really good to see.”
Golden said fans wanted Rioux in the game much earlier, cajoling UF’s coach at halftime with his team leading 52-28.
“I said it will happen, the time will come,” Golden said. “I can be stubborn, you know, I don’t listen to direction very well at times. So when they’re yelling at me to do it, it kind of, ‘Alright, maybe I’ll wait a little longer.’ There’s a time, you know, with Ollie for right now, like, when I put him in the game, I’m not going to take him back out.”
The 305-pound Rioux has worked tirelessly to improve his conditioning, lateral movement and ball skills. But endurance remains an issue.
“I want to make sure that he’s in a position where he can finish the game and not get fatigued, and I think two, three minutes is probably the most that he can go right now without getting fatigued,” Golden said. “So that was kind of the decision and why we waited so long to put him in.”
As the lead grew beyond 30 points, Rioux suspected he’d get into the game. Nerves accompanied the realization and ensuing anticipation, he said.
“I was, but it’s part of the game,” Rioux said. “I think I handled it well.”
Rioux didn’t record a statistic. Coaches hoped to get him a shot attempt, but the ball didn’t come his way.
Other opportunities are sure to be ahead. Florida flexed its muscle against North Florida, one of several inferior foe on the Gators’ non-conference schedule.
Golden will not hesitate to reward Rioux the next time UF has a huge lead.
“He’s put in a lot of great work and to his credit, he’s kept a great attitude without getting a lot of reward in terms of playing time and opportunity,” Golden said. “Obviously the game was in our control and 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 pretty neat for him to finally see the floor.”
Rioux plans to be ready for his next chance.
“It’s just mental and you just keep going and keep grinding,” he said.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com.