One of the biggest names in college basketball is heading to California.
Seven-foot-nine centre Olivier Rioux announced on social media that he will be playing for UC Irvine.
“We are excited to welcome Olivier Rioux to our program,” UC Irvine head coach Russell Turner wrote in a statement. “Olivier is a high-character young man whose presence will elevate our team, our university, and our community. He embodies the values that have defined our success at UC Irvine.
“We’ve built a strong relationship with Olivier and his family over the years, dating back to his high school recruitment, and that familiarity gives us tremendous belief in who he is both on and off the court. Olivier’s unique skill set and physical presence align perfectly with the tradition of dominant front-court players in our program. We believe he will have an immediate impact and continue to grow within our system, and we are thrilled to have him join the Anteater family.”
The Terrebonne, Que., native announced on March 31 that he was entering the transfer portal.
“It’s truly hard to put into words what these last two years and this experience has meant to me,” Rioux wrote. “From being raised in the province of Quebec back home in Canada, to representing this incredible program, wearing these colours and competing at the highest level has been one of the greatest honours of my life.”
UCI is coming off its 10th Big West regular season title after finishing with a 23-12 record.
The portal has been open since April 7.
Rioux, 20, redshirted in 2024-25 as the Gators won the national title.
He made his NCAA debut this season, playing sparingly over 11 games in which he totalled seven points and six rebounds.
The Gators entered this year’s March Madness looking to defend their title as a No. 1 seed, but they were upset in a one-point loss to No. 9 Iowa in the second round.
Rioux saw some brief action in Florida’s first-round win, playing two minutes with two points and two rebounds.
“It’s a great moment — I got the rebound and then I dunked it — but it’s also a great moment because I hustled, I did my job, and everything else toward the defence was good, too,” Rioux said. “I came to play.”
Rioux became the tallest person to ever play college basketball when he made his debut in a 104-64 victory over North Florida last November. He scored three games later, making a free throw after getting fouled. He also recorded his first rebound.
Rioux is two inches (five centimetres) taller than former NBA giants Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, and three inches taller than popular big men Yao Ming, Tacko Fall and Shawn Bradley. He already owned a spot in the Guinness record book when he signed with Florida in 2024.
Head coach Todd Golden gave Rioux the option of playing sparingly as a true freshman or taking a redshirt season and working on his game. Rioux chose the latter. Nonetheless, he was a walking viral video, from riding his custom-made bike on campus, to ducking under every doorway, to cutting down nets while standing flat-footed during Florida’s NCAA Tournament run.
Golden made it clear before the season that Rioux would only play late in blowouts, the result of having all four frontcourt players returning. But Rioux doubled down on wanting to be at Florida and welcomed the challenge of playing against Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten in practice and behind them in games.
He was always the bigger — literally — attraction.
–with files from The Associated Press