Next season, the Florida Gators will not have the elite backcourt trio of Alijah Martin, Walter Clayton Jr., and Will Richard, who each played a significant role in the team’s 36-4 national title-winning campaign.
However, what’s lost regarding ball handlers will be gained in terms of a frontcourt. Returning for Florida will be contributors and big men Alex Condon, Micah Handlogten, Thomas Haugh, and Rueben Chinyelu.
What most have likely forgotten is that residing in head Coach Todd Golden’s war chest of talent is a 7-foot-9 center from Canada who burned his redshirt last season.
Olivier Rioux, a towering shot blocker who did not play last year, will look to carve out a role for the 2024-25 season. Although unavailable as a freshman, Rioux is getting in quality reps during the summer months, competing in the FIBA U19 World Cup under the Canadian banner.
On Monday, Rioux played in his team’s 82-63 win over Slovenia. The 19-year-old played just five minutes, grabbing three rebounds while scoring two points. He went a perfect 2-for-2 from the line. More importantly, Rioux has an eye-popping plus-15 in-the-box score, with Canada dominating with the Florida Gators product on the court.
Team Canada and Rioux will play Germany again on Tuesday. Both teams hold a perfect 2-0 record.
Fresh off a near-perfect title-winning campaign, Rioux will battle with returners Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten for meaningful minutes at the five position. Handlogten enters his fourth collegiate season, while Chinyelu scored six points per game in 40 games during the previous season.