At an astonishing 7’10” (no mistake), Florida Gators freshman Olivier Rioux towers over everyone else. This November, Ben Johnson and the Gophers basketball team may be tasked with finding a way to close down the Gators’ freshman skyscraper.
Minnesota will be one of four teams competing in the 2024 ESPN Events Invitational this November. The Gators will also participate in the tournament. Wake Forest and Wichita State are the other two teams that will compete in the tournament on November 28 and 29 in Kissimmee, Florida.
Florida’s new freshman Olivier Rioux is listed at 2.36 m 😳
He is the tallest player in college basketball history and holds a Guinness World Record as the tallest teenager of all time 😨 pic.twitter.com/nupUnLy8eI
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) 15 August 2024
The pairings for the tournament have not yet been determined, which means the Gophers could face a possible matchup with Rioux and the Gators.
Dawson Garcia is the tallest member of the Gophers’ roster this season. He stands 6’10”, a full 10″ shorter than the Gators rookie. According to 247Sports, Rioux was a three-star recruit out of the IMG Academy and the nation’s 59th-best center in the 2024 recruiting class.
Rioux holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s tallest teenager. When he takes the court this season, he will be the tallest college basketball player of all time, surpassing Purdue’s Zach Edey by five inches. According to Florida’s official roster, Rioux was 6’1″ at age 8 and surpassed the 7’2″ mark the summer before seventh grade.
