Florida's Olivier Rioux cuts down nets without ladder

Olivier Rioux did not play a single second of Florida's national championship season, but the 19-year-old from Canada was still one of the more fascinating Gators as a redshirt freshman center.

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Rioux remained a curiosity because — at 7-foot-9 — he is the world's tallest teenager. During Florida's preseason workouts, he participated in drills where video captured him dunking without even jumping.

After the Gators completed a dramatic comeback to beat Houston 65-63 in Monday's national title game in San Antonio, coach Todd Golden and his troops celebrated by taking part in the traditional net cutting at the Alamodome. Each team member climbed a ladder to clip one cord.

Everyone except Rioux.

When it was Rioux's turn, he simply walked up to the net, grabbed the scissors at the top of the ladder and effortlessly cut a cord.

Florida’s 7-foot-9 center Olivier Rioux did not need a ladder to cut down the nets after winning the national championship. pic.twitter.com/hdjjwc5uFu
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) April 8, 2025

Golden gave Rioux the option of playing garbage-time minutes this season but convinced him to sit out the 2024-25 campaign. The decision was difficult with Gators fans calling for Golden to put Rioux in games.

“I should have made that clear (before),” Golden told reporters. “Honestly, it’s put him in a tough situation. He’s sitting over there at the end of games and everybody’s yelling at him and trying to get him out there. They just hadn’t understood that that was our potential plan for him."

Like any college athlete with a burgeoning brand, Rioux is preparing to cash in on NIL opportunities. He also plans to try out for the Canadian national team after increasing his foot speed and improving his strength.

“It’s been a process,” Rioux said. “I feel good about it. I feel like I’ve been doing a tremendous job in terms of lifting. Obviously, practicing is a bit different. You’re not playing as much as you want to, but you still got to show up and practice as much as they want me to.”

Florida's tallest player didn't need a ladder to cut down the nets (VIDEO)

By Joe Lago | Apr 8, 2025