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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Walking from his apartment to classes and then to the University of Florida’s basketball facility, Olivier Rioux poses for dozens — sometimes hundreds — of pictures a day.
Vertical shots, of course. Rioux won’t fit in the frame any other way.
At 7 feet, 9 inches, Rioux is the ultimate BMOC. He’s actually the Biggest Man On Campus — any campus.
The Florida freshman, a happy-go-lucky Canadian who owns a spot in the Guinness record book as the world’s tallest teenager, also will make basketball history when he plays for the 21st-ranked Gators this season. The cheerful guy known as “Oli” will become the tallest to play college hoops, supplanting 7-foot-7 Kenny George of UNC Asheville (2006-08).
He’s 2 inches taller than former NBA giants Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, and 3 inches taller than popular big men Yao Ming, Tacko Fall and Shawn Bradley.
“You get asked questions every day,” said Rioux, who likes to draw in his spare time. “You don’t have a single three seconds to yourself when you’re outside, which I was fine with because my brother and my dad are tall. And, as a family, we used to go out. That’s just how it was, and you can’t change that because people are curious.”
His college teammates have gotten used to it by now.
“It’s really weird looking up to someone,” said 7-foot-1 center Micah Handlogten. “But being around him just about every day, it’s just different when you’re out in public with him. People normally ask me, ‘You’re so tall. Do you play basketball?’ No one says a word to me (now). Everyone just looks to him. It’s kind of crazy. He doesn’t shy away from it.”
Rioux actually embraces it. He welcomes the stares, the questions and all the requests.
“It does help to be Canadian,” he quipped. “You just get used to it. Talking to people is nice because they are curious, and you can’t change that.”
Rioux has worked hard to prepare for Division I basketball, but no one…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/7-feet-9-inches-olivier-170237787.html
Author : Associated Press
Publish date : 2024-10-29 17:02:00
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