Olivier Rioux has limitless potential on the basketball court by virtue of his height alone, but the Florida center recently tried his hand at a different sport.
Rioux worked out for Florida’s football team earlier this week. The 7-foot-9 redshirt freshman took snaps on special teams and tried to use his massive wingspan to block kicks.
It did not go very well, however.
Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said the school’s football coaches “were a little disappointed,” as Rioux only has an 11-inch vertical.
“I like the idea,” Golden said on Thursday, via The Associated Press. “I give them credit for trying it.”
Even at 7-foot-9, Rioux apparently learned that you need to be able to jump to block kicks. Fortunately, he should be able to block plenty of shots on the basketball court without needing to leave his feet.
Rioux did not play last season, as he took a redshirt year as a freshman. The Canada native still received plenty of attention during Florida’s national championship run because of his height.
After the Gators beat Houston, Rioux effortlessly cut down his piece of the net without using a ladder (video here). An insane photo of him standing next to a reporter also circulated all over the internet.
Rioux played for the Under-19 Canadian national team this summer. It remains to be seen whether he will make a significant impact for the Gators in his second collegiate season.
