7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux transfers to UC Irvine, boosting Anteaters frontcourt

Olivier Rioux has brought UC Irvine a player unlike any other in college basketball: a 7-foot-9, 305-pound transfer whose size alone changes the terms of roster construction, scouting and national attention.

UC Irvine announced Rioux’s signing on April 30, with head coach Russell Turner saying the program had long known the Canadian center and his family from the high school recruiting process. Turner described Rioux as a high-character young man whose presence would elevate the team, the university and the community. For a program coming off a Big West regular-season title, the addition is about more than intrigue. It gives the Anteaters another frontcourt option in a league where size, rim protection and rebounding can decide close conference races.

Rioux arrived from Florida after entering the transfer portal in March, following two seasons in Gainesville. Florida listed him at 7-9 and 305 pounds, and its roster showed that he appeared in 11 games, scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds. The Gators also identified him as a redshirt freshman after a developmental redshirt in 2024-25. Those numbers are modest, but they do not capture why he remains one of the most unusual personnel moves in the sport.

His value stretches well beyond the box score. Rioux is already one of the most recognizable student-athletes in North America because of his frame and his path. Florida’s feature on him in July 2024 said he was officially listed at 7-9 under NCAA height guidelines, and Guinness World Records recognized him as the tallest teenager in the world. ESPN has noted that Rioux is one of only three players in college basketball history taller than 7-foot-9, and he is the tallest player ever to score in a Division I game.

International play has added to that profile. FIBA records show Rioux averaged 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds for Canada at the 2024 U18 AmeriCup, then 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds at the 2025 U19 World Cup. Those appearances help explain why a player with limited college minutes still carries recruiting and marketing weight that most mid-major programs never touch.

For UC Irvine, the challenge now is practical as much as promotional. Rioux’s size can force opponents to adjust shot selection, lane spacing and rebounding schemes, while the Anteaters must integrate him into a roster that already won the Big West regular season. In a transfer market that keeps reshaping college basketball, UC Irvine has added a player whose impact may be felt as much in game planning and visibility as in points and rebounds.