Florida's 7-foot-9 Center Shines Against Team USA
The Florida Gators will attempt to win back-to-back national championships for the second time in program history when they take the floor for the 2025-26 season. After an incredible year, head coach Todd Golden and Florida had to retool their roster in an attempt to win another title.
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As part of that revised roster will be the Guinness World Record holder for tallest teenager, redshirt freshman Olivier Rioux.
Before the 7-foot-9 center takes the floor for the first time as a Gator, after not playing a single minute during his first year in Gainesville, he is showcasing his talent on the global stage.
Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux© Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Rioux is representing his home country of Canada this summer in the 2025 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup. On Friday, he and the rest of Canada's top teenage talent faced off against Team USA, ultimately losing 108-102 in a quarterfinal matchup at the Lausanne Arena in Switzerland.
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Rioux logged 12 minutes while starting at center for Canada, notching three points on 1-for-2 shooting from the floor. While his point total doesn't jump off the stat sheet, Rioux filled up the rest of his box score with two rebounds, two blocks and one steal. He played limited minutes due to getting in foul trouble, ending the game with four personals.
With the loss, Rioux and Canada's run in the World Cup is now over, while Team USA will take on New Zealand in the semifinals on Saturday. The former three-star recruit from IMG Academy finishes with nine total points in five appearances for Team Canada in the tournament. He also ends with nine rebounds.
Now, as Rioux's run with Team Canada is over for the summer, his attention will turn back to the Gators. While he may not play a huge role on Golden's squad this season, he will most likely be a part of Florida's run to claim a second straight national title.
Related: Florida Trending for No. 22 College Basketball Recruit
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
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