Florida transfer center Olivier Rioux commits to UC Irvine
Former Florida center Olivier Rioux you have got dedicated to UC Irvine by way of the NCAA Transfer Portal. Rioux announced his dedication on his Instagram. At 7-foot-9, Rioux is the tallest participant in school basketball historical past.
Rioux spent two seasons in Florida. He did not see any motion as a real freshman and in the end redshirted. Rioux made 11 appearances final season, amassing seven whole factors and 6 rebounds.
Olivier Rioux performed highschool basketball at IMG Academy (FL), the place he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 294 total participant and No. 36 center within the 2024 recruiting cycle, in accordance 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 isn’t any stranger to teaching exceptionally tall expertise.
From 2013-16, Turner coached Mamadou Ndiaye at UC Irvine. Originally from Senegal, Ndiaye was 7-foot-6. He made 86 appearances and 81 begins over the course of three seasons at UC Irvine.
In his last yr with the Anteaters, Ndiaye averaged 12.1 factors, 7.2 rebounds and a couple of.4 blocks per sport, whereas capturing 67.3% from the sector. During his profession, he was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year twice and earned 2016 all-conference first-team honors.
Turner will look to assist Olivier Rioux obtain even higher success. While Rioux not often noticed motion for the Gators, he helped Canada win a bronze medal on the 2023 U18 FIBA AmeriCup.
Rioux averaged 4.5 factors and 4.5 rebounds per sport within the match. 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 stated of Rioux. “From summer season, grinding with this man and taking part in collectively – attempting to get one another higher as a result of 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.”
The NCAA Transfer Portal formally opened on April 7 and closed on April 21. The new 15-day window was enacted following a advice by the lads’s basketball oversight committee. Athletes didn’t have to commit to a brand new college by the April 21 deadline.
To sustain with the most recent gamers on the transfer, try On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter accounts are wonderful assets to keep up to date with the most recent strikes.
