Olivier Rioux, 7-foot-9 NCAA school basketball participant at Florida, practices with the crew, Friday Oct. 18, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photograph/John Raoux)
GAINESVILLE, Florida— The world’s tallest teenager might need to attend a yr to turn out to be the world’s tallest school basketball participant.
Florida coach Todd Golden mentioned Thursday that Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 freshman who owns a spot within the Guinness document guide, is planning to redshirt. Had the favored Canadian performed in even one sport, he would have burned one in all his 4 seasons of school eligibility.
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READ: 7-foot-9 basketball challenge Olivier Rioux is world’s tallest teen
As a substitute, Rioux will spend the 2024-25 season working towards with teammates and honing his abilities — and nonetheless be a freshman subsequent fall.
“I ought to have made that clear (earlier than),” Golden mentioned. “Truthfully, it’s put him in a troublesome scenario. He’s sitting over there on the finish of video games and everyone’s yelling at him and attempting to get him on the market. They simply hadn’t understood that that was our potential plan for him.
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Olivier Rioux, again heart, a 7-foot-9 NCAA school basketball participant at Florida, gathers with coaches and teammates on the crew’s follow, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photograph/John Raoux)
“In order that’s the place we’re at at this second. I’m not saying that’s 100% going to be the plan. We’ll proceed to speak to him and see if he alters what he needs to do. However as of proper now, that’s the plan that we’re going to have with him as we transfer ahead.”
Florida college students chanted for “Oli” in each of the crew’s residence video games this season. Golden emptied the bench within the closing minutes of an 86-62 victory over Grambling State on Monday night time and even mentioned a number of phrases to Rioux in the course of the chaotic scene.
“I used to be simply explaining to him, ’Hey, the rationale why I’m not placing you in proper now’s what we’ve talked about a little bit bit,’” Golden mentioned. “This wasn’t a alternative that I made for him. That is one thing that individuals (from) our program have talked with him and his household and his mother and father, his AAU coach and simply form of attempting to determine what the very best route for him is.
“I simply went as much as him and I used to be like, ‘Hey, I’m not attempting to be disrespectful with you. I’m simply not attempting to burn your yr placing you in for 30 seconds.’”
Rioux dealt with the choice effectively, Golden mentioned.
“He’s a fantastic child, and he’s a pleaser,” Golden mentioned. “He needs to do what others suppose is greatest for him. And he’s coachable. Once more, if that is what our employees, his mother and father, the individuals round him that care about him, suppose is greatest, I believe he’s going to be comfy. In the end, it’s his determination. However I believe that’s the place he’ll land.”
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