Florida’s 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux finally makes his college basketball debut originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It was the moment all the Florida Gators fans have been waiting for.
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There went Olivier Rioux, all 7-foot-9 of him, to the scorer’s table with about two minutes to play on Thursday night.
This was it, the college debut of the tallest player in college hoops.
A bit anticlimactic, yes, in a 40-point win over North Florida. But you’ve got to start somewhere.
Rioux didn’t record a stat in his two minutes.
He was the victory cigar on a much-needed win for the Gators.
They had opened the season with a stern test against No. 13 Arizona and lost, so coming back home to play the in-state but much lesser Ospreys was a good deal.
The defending national champions took care of business, scoring 52 points in each half en route to a 104-64 victory.
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Rioux was on campus last year, a national champion in his redshirt year, known most for cutting down his piece of the net from the ground.
He still hasn’t broken into the rotation yet, but at least getting on the court is a step in the right direction.
Rioux’s future is still uncertain, but it’s cool to have seen him in action, finally.
