A school basketball participant captured consideration forward of March Insanity final 12 months.
Olivier Rioux getting ready for March Insanity (Picture: James Gilbert/Getty Photos)
Olivier Rioux instructions consideration earlier than he even steps on to a basketball court docket. The 20-year-old was beforehand the world’s tallest teenager, towering over his friends at a outstanding seven ft and 9 inches, which is 2 inches larger than the tallest-ever NBA participant.
The Canadian centre rose to prominence forward of final 12 months’s March Insanity. He was a part of the Florida Gators squad that received the NCAA event in 2025. A variety of basketball followers tipped Rioux to catch the attention of NBA scouts however Gators head coach Todd Golden had a special plan. Regardless of requires the record-breaking teenager to be launched, Rioux was redshirted, which means he wouldn’t play in the course of the season to protect his faculty basketball eligibility.
The 20-year-old is accustomed to the eye his giant body attracts, having first set his previous world document at 15. Nevertheless, Rioux additionally started claiming data on the court docket in November, turning into the tallest faculty basketball participant in historical past in his Gators debut towards North Florida.
A month later, Rioux toppled one other faculty basketball document. He’s the tallest participant to have scored a basket on the faculty degree following his rating towards in a 102-61 victory over Saint Francis.
The Gators enter March Insanity as one among 4 No.1 seeds as a result of their 26-7 document within the Southeastern Convention. Whereas he won’t be anticipated to play a significant function throughout March Insanity, Rioux is way from downbeat about his prospects.
“I believe lots of people do not actually know what I am dedicated to doing,” he stated to ESPN. “Clearly, you see a spotlight right here and there, however you do not see what the particular person is able to doing. I need to push myself to have the ability to do this.”
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