Gainesville, Fla. (AP) – The world’s tallest teenager is trying out what’s out of reach of his hands in football.
Florida basketball player Olivier Riuxs recently worked for the Gators soccer team at a 7-foot-9 center that played for the under-19 Canadian national team this summer.
Rioux wore an orange helmet and snapped a snap to a special team. The Florida assistant coach hopes his huge wingspan will become a different maker when it comes to blocking field goals and extra points.
“We did it again”: Florida fans celebrate Nailbiter National Championship victory
“I like the idea,” Gators basketball coach Todd Golden said at a booster event Thursday evening. “I praise them for trying it.”
There was one problem. The 305-pound Rioux has 11-inch verticals, so even his extremely long reach he couldn’t block kicks during training.
“They were a little disappointed,” Golden said.
no worries. Rioux can stick to full-time gigs with the Hoops team.
After Redshirting as a true freshman last season, he is expected to ride the court with limited abilities this fall. He rarely plays much considering the defending national champion returning the entire frontcourt, but at least he should go to the court on trash time.
Golden is already considering using him to protect the inbound pass. This is what Rioux perfected just before halftime with the US at the FIBA U19 World Cup held in Switzerland earlier this month. Rioux forced a false pass that led to a departure and three pointer just before halftime.
Rioux’s unusual height landed him in the Guinness World Records a few years ago, and he became a walking viral video in Florida. The coach and teammates climbed the ladder and cut the net after the Gators won the Southeastern Conference Tournament, but Rioz was able to do it while standing flat.
