Olivier Rioux, the Canadian player for the Florida Gators, has become the tallest college basketball player with a 7-foot-9 frame.
Rioux made his college basketball debut in the Gators vs. North Florida clash on Thursday, November 6, where his team secured a groundbreaking victory with a 104-64 score.
The Montreal native entered with 2:09 remaining in the game and has surpassed 7-7 players Kenny George of UNC Asheville and Mike Lanier of Hardin-Simmons.
Following the game, Rioux gushed about the praise he received, noting, "It felt great. The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even in the fans. Everybody supported me, and I'm very grateful."
Fellow Gator Micah Handlogten, a member of last season's NCAA championship team, also shared his excitement for the teen to finally see the court.
"When he was checking into the game, I stopped him and I was like, play with confidence, you've worked your butt off for two years now to get to this spot. Now's your moment, this is your time to shine," he said.
Handlogten added, "To see him out there running up and down the court with a little smile on his face, it was really good to see."
With his team leading by 24 at halftime, Florida coach Todd Golden told his players he wanted to get some of the younger ones in; among them was Rioux.
Olivier Rioux was already a prominent name before the Thursday game, as he has been named the world's tallest teenager by Guinness World Records.
On his bio page, he noted, "We're still not 100 percent sure why I'm so tall — after investigation, doctors could only explain it with the genetics that my family has. My father is 6'8, my mom is 6'2 and my older brother is 6'9. So we're a pretty tall family!"
