During halftime of Florida’s commanding victory over North Florida on Thursday, coach Todd Golden noticed fans buzzing about the possibility of seeing redshirt freshman Olivier Rieux play.
Fans have been eagerly anticipating the 7-foot-9 sensation’s debut, curious to witness the tallest player in college basketball history.
Golden mentioned, “I told them, ‘It’s going to happen, just give it some time.’ I can be a bit stubborn, you know? When I hear them shouting, my first instinct is to wait it out a little longer.”
As the game approached a conclusion, chants of “We Want Ollie” filled the arena, and eventually, Golden relented.
Rieux stood up from the bench, walked to the scorer’s table, and was met with roaring cheers from the crowd, officially marking his entry as the tallest player in collegiate basketball history.
He played for two minutes in the defending champions’ 104-64 win but didn’t register any stats.
“It felt amazing,” said Rieux. “The support from everyone was incredible, both from my teammates and the fans. I think everyone was really cheering for me, and I’m truly grateful.”
Originally from Canada, Rieux gained considerable attention when he transferred to Florida for the 2024-25 season and even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest living male teenager in 2022.
He stands one inch taller than the previous college record holder, Paul Sturges, while towering over basketball legends like Yao Ming and Manute Bol by several inches.
Golden had previously offered Rieux the option to play in a few games with limited minutes or to redshirt this year. Rieux chose the latter, missing out on the national title game but still enjoyed the experience of celebrating by cutting down the net without needing a ladder.
“I think it’s just a mental hurdle; you just have to keep pushing through,” he reflected on his wait to play.
Back on the team for his second season, Rieux was in a position to defend their championship. Though he didn’t play in the opener against No. 13 Arizona, the matchup against a lower-ranked team seemed like a perfect opportunity for his debut.
As the game neared its end, he started to feel that he might finally hear his name called, and that’s when Golden decided to let him in.
Assistant coach Karlin Hartman walked Rieux to the scorer’s table, and his teammate Mika Handlogten offered him a motivational pep talk, reminding him how hard he’d worked for this moment.
The announcer described the atmosphere as “so electric it felt like it had been building the whole night.”
Rieux mentioned that North Florida tried to thwart his scoring attempts, which kept the O’Connell Center from erupting into chaos.
“He’s worked really hard, and to his credit, he has maintained a positive attitude despite limited playtime,” Golden noted. “We had control of the game and figured it was a good chance to give him his first taste of college action. He seemed excited to finally get on the floor, and I wanted him to get involved.”
Even though he didn’t score, Thursday night will be a memorable moment for both Rieux and the program.
“I think it’s just going to be another day,” Rieux concluded.
