7-Foot-8 Teenager Olivier Rioux Dominates D1 Basketball Commits In Canadian All-Star Game - NewsBreak
The full game is on YouTube.... He doesn't dominate, but has an alright game. I see why we offered he is huge and not a stick 7'7 he could develop into a monster with just 1 or 2 post moves
just google a pic (tried to copy here, but it would not allow) and he has a bit more meat on his bones than I thought. Similar build as Handlogten/Castleton, maybe a bit more.
I know several of his IMG teammates. Ridiculous has been working his butt off to get stronger and quicker. He is still raw but he is improving rapidly. The guys I talked to think he will be a very good player by his sophomore/ junior year of college.
Hard to see him getting a lot of minutes early in his career given how up temp we play. I watched the videos and he doesn't seem to be able to keep up with the back and forth action, but is serviceable in a half court set when he can camp out in the post. Hopefully he continues to improve his agility, especially his ability to move his feet side to side on defense.
He will have problems against speedy teams, but we may use him situationally in halfcourt games until he adjusts. Dude will alter a ton of shots. He seems like a very smart young man and is aware that he is a project. I think he'll be happy to sit and learn from Micah, Condo, Shimmy, and as-yet-unnamed portal big. I expect he'll be a contributor his sophomore (or redshirt freshman) season. I'm glad he's a Gator. Sending him to IMG was a super-smart move by his parents. He's getting top coaching and training, and practicing against future high-major players every day.
I am not sure he needs any skills, other than being able to stand in front of the basket with his arms up. As was said above, he's going to alter a ton of shots just by standing there.
Is there a name for that defense? It's kind of the opposite of a box-and-one, in which 4 guys play zone, and 1 guy (the best defender) guards the opponent's best scorer.
Come to think of it, Olivier might be quite a weapon in an old-school fast-break. Back in the day, you would get a tall center who's a good defensive rebounder. He grabs the rebound, and the speedy guards and wings are already headed downcourt. The center spins and fires the outlet. Slam dunk. Rioux can easily throw over the heads of anyone around him. Heck, we could then go into full-court press and let Rioux stay down on the defensive end as the rim protector. Imma draw this up and send it to CTG.
He has good instincts and looks like IMG is developing his body well. Outlets well, passes to open shooters. Looks in shape and has enough athletic ability to play D1. I see no reason why he can't be a solid role player early and eventually start. Looks more polished at this stage than Tacko Fall did honestly.
IMG is playing PaulVI on ESPNU at 2:00 pm today. Hope to see Olivier play, if he is on IMG’s national team.