Olivier Rioux, Florida Basketball’s 7' 9" Sensation, Announces Transfer Destination Out West

Rioux is heading to a mid-major with a track record of developing players such as himself.

Olivier Rioux has committed to UC Irvine. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Florida transfer center Olivier Rioux announced his decision to transfer out of the Gators’ program earlier this month, and we now know where he is heading.

Rioux has committed to UC Irvine, where he will now look for a boost in playing time and a chance to make a name for himself for the Anteaters in the Big West.

Rioux posted the announcement on his personal Instagram account on Thursday morning with the caption: “Next stop: Irvine, California” with him donning a UC Irvine jersey.

The 7' 9" Rioux, an internet sensation for being the tallest player in modern college basketball history, spent two seasons at Florida. In year one, he redshirted. Last season, as a redshirt freshman, he was buried on the bench. He made 11 appearances for Todd Golden and the Gators and scored just seven points and six rebounds in the entire season.

A transfer from Rioux was hardly surprising, but the intrigue of what he can be with regular minutes remains now that he is heading to UC Irvine. Despite his size, Rioux was just a three-star prospect per 247Sports in the class of 2024, and was the No. 61 ranked center nationally and was rated as the 30th-best player in the state of Florida. 

This is not the first time UC Irvine has taken a shot on a player like Rioux

Rioux will look to follow in the footsteps of Mamdou Ndiaye, UC Irvine’s star center from last decade who stood 7' 6". | Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

UC Irvine feels like a great landing spot for Rioux. A player with unprecedented size playing for a mid-major school should give him an opportunity for regular minutes, development, and hopefully success. 

Anteaters coach Russell Turner developed 7' 6" Mamadou Ndiaye from 2013 to ’16, and by the time Ndiaye reached his junior season, he became the player that most expected him to be. He made 36 starts that season, averaging 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 67.3% from the floor.

Can Rioux—who is even taller than Ndiaye—perform similarly under the tutelage of Turner? 

The track record of Turner coaching a player like Rioux had to be attractive for the rising redshirt sophomore when evaluating his options. Now he will head to the Big West as he looks to turn internet hype into legitimate on-floor production at the Division I level.

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