Olivier Rioux, 7ft 9in, scores first points with Florida basketball team on a dunk | College basketball

Olivier Rioux lumbered down the lane, caught a bounce pass from teammate CJ Ingram and dunked, sending the Florida bench and home crowd into a frenzy.

Rioux barely left his feet to get there.

The 7-foot-9 center and world’s tallest teenager recorded his first collegiate basket in the 23rd-ranked Gators’ 102-61 win over Saint Francis on Wednesday night.

“Pretty special, man,” Gators coach Todd Golden said. “The transition, his vertical. Woo. He was up there, man.”

It was the most memorable play of an unforgettable match against an overmatched opponent.

Florida fans watched their team dominate every aspect of its first home game in nearly a month, then began chanting “We want Ollie” with just over six minutes left. Golden brought in the big guy after two minutes, drawing the loudest ovation of the night.

Rioux delivered his performance, first with a serious mistake on the defensive side, then an impressive cut to the basket on the other side. Florida players celebrated wildly, jumping and pushing each other in rejoicing.

“We were just going crazy,” said Florida guard Xaivian Lee, who led the team with 18 points.

Joked teammate Alex Condon, who added 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots: “Good pass from CJ. »

Rioux became the tallest person to ever play college basketball when he made his debut in a 104-64 victory over North Florida in early November. Rioux, a 19-year-old redshirt freshman from Canada, attracted so much attention from the Ospreys that he didn’t even touch the ball.

He scored three plays later, making a free throw after a foul. He also recorded his first rebound.

But it was different. This clearly demonstrates how difficult Rioux can be to defend, even though Golden says his stamina only allows him to play a few minutes at a time.

Rioux is five inches taller than former NBA giants Gheorghe Mureșan and Manute Bol, and three inches taller than popular big men Yao Ming, Tacko Fall and Shawn Bradley. He already had a spot in the Guinness Book of Records when he signed with Florida in 2024.

Golden gave Rioux the option to play sparingly last season or take a redshirt season and work on his game. Rioux chose the latter. Still, it was a walking viral video, from riding his bike around campus to hiding under every door to cutting down nets while standing flat-footed during Florida’s NCAA Tournament.

Golden made it clear that Rioux would only play late in blowouts, a result of all four frontcourt players returning. But Olivier redoubled his desire to be in Florida and took on the challenge of playing against Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten in practice and behind them in games.

But he’s still the biggest attraction – literally.