Canadian giant Olivier Rioux, dubbed the World's Tallest Teen by Guinness World Records, must wait until 2025 to make his college basketball debut, University of Florida coach Todd Golden said on Thursday. Golden revealed plans to "redshirt" the 7-foot-9 (2.36m) 18-year-old from Terrebonne, Quebec -- keeping him out this season to maintain four full seasons of eligibility starting next year.
"This wasn't a choice I made for him. This is something people have talked to with him, his family, his parents and just try to figure out what the best route for him is," Golden said. "He has been great.
He's a great kid. He's a pleaser. He wants to do what others think is best for him and he's coachable.
"If this is what parents and staff and people around him think is best I think he's going to be comfortable." Riouz was declared the world's tallest teen by Guinness in 2021 at age 15 and 7-foot-5 (2.26m).
It has been awkward for Rioux on the end of the Gators bench with home fans cheering for him to be inserted into games when they, and Rioux, were not certain of the redshirt plan. "I should have made that clear," Golden said. "It has put him in a tough situation.
"He's sitting over there at the end of games and everybody is yelling at him and trying to get him out there. They just hadn't understood that that was our potential plan for him. "So that's where we're at at this moment.
We'll continue to talk to him and see if he changes what he wants to do. But as of right now, that's the .
