In November, the Florida Gators secured the commitment, for the 2024-25 season, of Canadian center Olivier Rioux. At first, it was not news of the first magnitude for a university of such prestige, accustomed to fighting for the greatest talents in North American basketball. Rioux had a three-star project ranking (the great star candidates reach five) and was ranked 147th in the rankings of future prospects for college.
A few months ago he was, basically, a center to be made, with still very rudimentary fundamentals, green and with a lot of work to do at the prestigious IMG Academy. But Rioux did have something else that caused his deal with Florida to make a lot of noise: the guy from Quebec had the Guinness record for the tallest teenager in the world. At 15 years old, in 2021 and when he earned that distinction, he measured 2.26. In American basketball they believed that he could evolve in a mold similar to that of another Canadian center, Zach Edey, a university star at Purdue (twice Best National Player) with his 2.24 and a work ethic that has made him progress a lot and aim high ahead of the 2024 draft that takes place next week.
Rioux is in the news again, before even reaching the Gators, because his physical profile has been updated and continues to grow: now they give him 2.36 tall and it is considered that he can still go further. In the NBA, the tallest players in history remain Gheorge Muresan and Manute Bol, who were both 2.31 meters tall. And then, with 2.29, Tacko Fall, Shawn Bradley and Yao Ming. The tallest now is Victor Wembanyama with his 2.24 and, yes, the ability to play all over the court that the rest of the aforementioned giants did not have and do not have.
Rioux’s father and brother are close to 2.10 and his mother, 1.90. Her projection is increasing, although scouts are still not entirely convinced that she can be a star. Yes, of course, a differential player in defense near the rim: “He absorbs a huge amount of space on the court, although he is not exactly the fastest guy on his feet. In short stretches, he can collapse the zone, keep opponents away from the rim and dominate the rebound. In attack, he has good hands and touch, but he has to improve his coordination, especially in the quick reactions that games demand.”
Internationally, Rioux is known for his participation in Sub tournaments with Canada. IN 2022, he went through Málaga in the U-17 World Cup, when he was only 16 years old. I link him with Spain. Besides, he doesn’t end there. In 2019, he was part of the Real Madrid youth team when he was 13 years old. At that time he measured 218 centimeters and caught the attention of youth basketball fans… but also of the players of the first white soccer team, who did not miss the opportunity to take photos with a boy who did not settle in the capital and He headed to the United States to continue his training that will lead to the prestigious University of Florida. In 2018, at 12 years old and 2.13 tall, he surprised in the La Roda Tournament, a prestigious under-12 minibasketball championship. With the French Frenchy Phenoms he played in the final against Real Madrid, before passing the white club, and scored 26 points even though the victory went to the whites.
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2024-06-21 17:39:43
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