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7-foot-9 college hoopster Olivier Rioux is finally playing — and dominating
Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 Canadian centre described as college basketball’s tallest player, made his debut for UC Irvine with a strong performance. He scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 18 minutes as the Anteaters beat Chapman 92-66, suggesting he could have a regular role.
Rioux started after transferring from Florida, where he played little during two years and won a national championship during a 2025 redshirt season. He chose UC Irvine partly to work with coach Russell Turner, who previously developed 7-foot-6 centre Mamadou Ndiaye. Rioux also recorded one block, and his defence and rebounding will be important as he seeks to show NBA evaluators what he can do; UC Irvine next hosts San Jose State on Saturday.
In short
- Rioux had 13 points and 12 rebounds in his UC Irvine debut.
- The 7-foot-9 centre started in a 92-66 win over Chapman.
- Defence and rebounding could shape his NBA prospects.