Exciting News Emerges About Florida's 7-Foot-9 Center
Last season, the Florida Gators put the bow on an incredible 36-4 season with their third national title victory in program history.
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Florida deployed an elite three-man backcourt, two two-way forwards, and a massive 6-foot-11, 245-pound center, dominating opponents with an unstoppable offense and clutch defense. With the Gators being a prevailing force, head coach Todd Golden did not need the towering 7-foot-9 presence of freshman center Olivier Rioux.
Although Rioux did not make his Gators debut last year, he will have an opportunity to compete this summer in meaningful basketball. According to Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun, Rioux will participate in the FIBA U19 World Cup, which begins this weekend.
Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux (32).Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
A Canadian-born center, Rioux will contend in his fifth straight summer games. Last year in the U18 Americas, his team earned the bronze medal. He scored 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
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His most impressive international performance came during the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mexico, where he helped Canada win a bronze medal by averaging 8.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
The expectation is for Rioux to compete for playing time with Florida next season after his developmental redshirt season. Florida will return starting center Rueben Chinyelu, but the big often struggled with foul trouble. Alex Condon can also play center, but often found himself used in the four-spot alongside Chinyelu.
However, fellow centers Micah Handlogten and Viktor Mikic are expected to return to Gainesville, making the center position a spot of deep depth for head coach Todd Golden.
Related: Florida's NCAA Tournament Title Game Revealed to be Most-Watched Basketball Game of the Year
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
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