Florida will be bringing an interesting player onto campus for an official visit this weekend, and if you happen to see him around Gainesville–believe me, you’ll recognize him.
That’s because IMG Academy’s Olivier Rioux stands at, believe it or not, 7’6”. That’s at least what IMG Academy currently lists him at, though in some recent international competitions he has been listed at both 7’7” and 7’8”. 7’6” is the agreed upon height as of now at least, and it’s safe to say that if nothing else he isn’t any shorter than that which we can say with confidence, as he currently holds the Guiness World Record for “Tallest Teenager In The World.”
Rioux is originally from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. After gaining international recognition for his astonishing height, he moved to Florida to attend powerhouse IMG Academy.
There are a few things that make Rioux different than your average 7’4”+ player that seems to enter college every couple of years. For starters, Rioux is not as thin as a rail like you often see with players of this height. He has always had a relatively solid build, and while he’s not bulky by any means, he tips the scales at 280 pounds meaning that shorter centers aren’t able to push him around the paint.
Another thing that makes him different–he has had shockingly good health.
Many outlier tall basketball players have had hip, knee, and worst of all feet injuries, oftentimes before they even set foot on a college campus. However, that isn’t the case with Rioux who has been able to stay healthy and continue to work on his game throughout high school. Some of this is likely due to his frame that is surprisingly well-proportioned, and due to a strict performance plan from IMG that has yielded excellent results.
Coming off a year where Purdue’s 7’4” Zach Edey was college basketball’s most outstanding player, coaches might be looking more at players with incredible stature to come in and be matchup nightmares. It’s also worth noting that the Gators did pursue 7’5” Jamarion Sharp from Western Kentucky in the transfer portal this offseason, so clearly Florida’s staff has been thinking about the possibility of a player in this archetype.
When Edey committed to Purdue he was the 436th ranked player in his class, meaning that historically–recruiting services aren’t really sure what to do with these kinds of players. There have been plenty of busts with 7’4”+ players, so generally you don’t see them ranked particularly highly. Rioux is currently unranked, and there hasn’t been a lot of talk about what programs have officially offered him. Stetson has extended an official offer and is considered to be the favorite to land him, though the Gators bringing him in on a visit makes things interesting.
With the Gators set to return a lot of frontcourt pieces this upcoming season they absolutely could take a project piece like Rioux without any need to play him many high leverage minutes, and that could be just the opportunity he needs to develop his skills and dexterity that could make him a high-major basketball player.
It’s unknown if the Gators will extend an official offer, though they are certainly intrigued enough to bring him in on a visit.