Former Florida center Olivier Rioux has committed to UC Irvine via the NCAA Transfer Portal. Rioux announced his commitment on his Instagram. At 7-foot-9, Rioux is the tallest player in college basketball history.
Rioux spent two seasons at Florida. He didn’t see any action as a true freshman and ultimately redshirted. Rioux made 11 appearances last season, amassing seven total points and six rebounds.
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Olivier Rioux played high school basketball at IMG Academy (FL), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 294 overall player and No. 36 center in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.
Rioux was the No. 40 center in On3’s 2026 Transfer Portal Player Rankings. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining. UC Irvine head coach Russell Turner is no stranger to coaching exceptionally tall talent.
From 2013-16, Turner coached Mamadou Ndiaye at UC Irvine. Originally from Senegal, Ndiaye was 7-foot-6. He made 86 appearances and 81 starts over the course of three seasons at UC Irvine.
In his final year with the Anteaters, Ndiaye averaged 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, while shooting 67.3% from the field. During his career, he was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year twice and earned 2016 all-conference first-team honors.
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Turner will look to help Olivier Rioux achieve even greater success. While Rioux rarely saw action for the Gators, he helped Canada win a bronze medal at the 2023 U18 FIBA AmeriCup.
Rioux averaged 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in the tournament. Last season, All-SEC Florida center Rueben Chinyelu raved about Rioux’s work ethic.
“It’s just a great time being with this guy,” Chinyelu said of Rioux. “From summer time, grinding with this guy and playing together – trying to get each other better because iron sharpens iron.
“Just trying to do whatever to get him to play the game because we all work so hard for that. So whatever time – whether it’s minutes or seconds – that he gets, he cherishes it so much.”
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The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened on April 7 and closed on April 21. The new 15-day window was enacted following a recommendation by the men’s basketball oversight committee. Athletes did not have to commit to a new school by the April 21 deadline.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
