“He’s going to make Wemby look small”: Fans react as Florida set to welcome 7’9 Olivier Rioux after NCAA title season

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Having only just won the national championship, Florida is already preparing for next season, with the Gators set to add the world’s tallest teenager, Olivier Rioux, to their roster.

According to the Guinness World Record, Rioux is the tallest teenager in the world and the tallest player in college basketball history.

Standing 7-foot-9 at only 19 years old, the center was a member of the Florida team this season but was redshirted for his freshman year with the program, postponing his debut campaign.

Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, On3 and Rivals, the teenager has already played for Canada in FIBA events. He is now set for his first taste of college basketball, looking to help the Gators defend their title next season.

Sports-dedicated Instagram account, ClutchPoints, made a post on Tuesday to point out his addition, which got college hoops fans to react.

“He’s going to make Wemby look small,” a user wrote.

“Another title for them,” another user commented.

“He ain’t no Walton Clayton but with that height he’s already off to an advantage,” one fan said.

Fans react as Florida set to welcome 7’9 Olivier Rioux after NCAA title season. Credit: IG/@clutchpoints

Others are not hyped about the world’s tallest college basketball player:

“Wait, do people think this tall dude is gonna be like Wemby or something? He redshirted for a reason,” a fan wrote.

“He’s not good like that. And can hardly communicate for some reason.. he don’t need this added pressure I can promise you that,” another said.

“He won’t even play, coach already said he’s got a long long way to go. He’s just tall,” one fan posted.

Rioux, already seven feet tall heading into the seventh grade, showed off his reach after the Gators' national championship win when he cut down the net without using a ladder.

Todd Golden acknowledges Olivier Rioux’s progress

Florida Gators coach Todd Golden decided to redshirt Olivier Rioux at the start of the season, noting that the center was a long-term project. However, he acknowledged his improvement as the season progressed.

Golden was quoted in an article by Gainsville Sun's Kevin Brockway on Feb. 20:

“He’s doing great," Golden said. "I think his body has transformed just the way he moves, he’s way more athletic now than when he got here. We always thought of Ollie as kind of a longer-term project so to speak.”

Rioux joined the Gators from IMG Academy in Bradenton at the start of the 2024-25 season, turning down an offer from UC Irvine.

About the author

Babatunde Kolawole is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience in the field with Canoncrested.com, Garbersports.com, LiveScore Bet Nigeria and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Kolawole studied Agricultural Economics on the tertiary level but delved into sports writing after school. Over half a decade later, the experience garnered helped him land this role.

Historically, the Alabama Crimson Tide stands out as Kolawole's favorite team as he was drawn to their rich history.

As for basketball, JuJu Watkins is Kolawole's favorite current player due to how much diversity she has in her game, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets the nod for past players because of how he dominated with UCLA.

Kolawole has appeared on several TV and Radio shows as a guest analyst, and in his spare time, likes to watch movies (a sucker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and listen to a lot of music. He also loves to travel.

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