They wanted to see Olivier Rioux, the world\u2019s tallest teenager at 7-foot-9, make his collegiate debut, as chants of “We want Ollie!” swept through the arena.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Golden granted the vociferous crowd\u2019s wish with 2:09 left to play in the game when he inserted Rioux. In Rioux\u2019s two minutes of action,<\/a> he didn\u2019t even touch the ball because of the attention he commanded.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM<\/a><\/p>\n North Florida guard Dante Oliver, left, and North Florida forward Nestor Dyachok, right, guard against Florida center Olivier Rioux, center, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Gainesville, Florida, on Nov. 6, 2025. (Chris Watkins\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n “It felt great,” Rioux said. “The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even the fans. I think everybody supported me. I\u2019m very grateful.”<\/p>\n Rioux\u2019s appearance lit the whole arena up. Even North Florida<\/a> forward Trey Cady smirked when he measured himself against a towering redshirt freshman. Rioux became the tallest player ever to step on the court in college basketball history.\u00a0<\/p>\n When asked about making history, Rioux quipped, “It\u2019s another day, I guess.”<\/p>\n Golden said the requests for Rioux to come into the game began at halftime.\u00a0<\/p>\n EX-NBA PLAYER AND FORMER DUKE STANDOUT KYLE SINGLER ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED ASSAULT IN OKLAHOMA, OFFICIALS SAY<\/a><\/p>\n North Florida guard Trey Cady, front right, defends against Florida center Olivier Rioux (32) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Gainesville, Florida, on Nov. 6, 2025. (Chris Watkins\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n “There\u2019s people yelling at me at halftime about playing him,” Golden said. “I\u2019m like, \u2018Listen, it will happen. The time will come.\u2019”<\/p>\n Rioux is 2 inches (5 centimeters) taller than former NBA<\/a> giants Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, and 3 inches taller than popular big men Yao Ming, Tacko Fall and Shawn Bradley.\u00a0<\/p>\n Golden credited the Canadian native for his work ethic despite not getting a lot of playing time.\u00a0<\/p>\n “He\u2019s put in a lot of great work,” Golden said. “To his credit, he\u2019s kept a great attitude without getting a lot of reward in terms of playing time and opportunity.”<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n Olivier Rioux (32) of the Florida Gators looks on from the bench during the first half of a Hall of Fame Series game against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Nov. 3, 2025. The Wildcats defeated the Gators 93-87. (David Becker\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Golden stressed the importance to his players at halftime of building a big lead, so young players like Rioux could get a chance to play.<\/p>\n “I talked to the guys at halftime when we\u2019re up 24 and I expressed to them the importance of getting off to a really good start so we can get some of the younger guys and some of the guys from down on the bench an opportunity to play and to get some rip,” Golden said. “Obviously the game was in our control and thought it would be a good opportunity to get him out there and get his first college experience, and I think he was pretty excited.”<\/p>\n Rioux\u2019s next chance to get on the floor is when the Gators take on Florida State<\/a> on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Associated Press contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n Follow Fox News Digital\u2019s sports coverage on X<\/a>, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n![\"Olivier](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/olivier-rioux-in-action.jpg\")
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