Some size is available on the NCAA transfer market.
Seven-foot-nine Florida centre Olivier Rioux announced he was entering the transfer portal on Tuesday via Instagram.
"It's truly hard to put into words what these last two years and this experience has meant to me," Rioux, of Terrebonne, Que., wrote. "From being raised in the province of Quebec back home in Canada, to representing this incredible program, wearing these colours and competing at the highest level has been one of the greatest honours of my life."
The portal officially opens April 7.
Rioux, 20, redshirted last season as the Gators won the national title.
He made his NCAA debut this season, playing sparingly over 11 games in which he totalled seven points and six rebounds.
The Gators entered this year's March Madness looking to defend their title as a No. 1 seed, but they were upset in a one-point loss to No. 9 Iowa in the second round.
Rioux saw some brief action in Florida's first-round win, playing two minutes with two points and two rebounds.
"It’s a great moment — I got the rebound and then I dunked it — but it’s also a great moment because I hustled, I did my job, and everything else toward the defence was good, too," Rioux said. "I came to play."
Rioux became the tallest person to ever play college basketball when he made his debut in a 104-64 victory over North Florida last November. He scored three games later, making a free throw after getting fouled. He also recorded his first rebound.
Rioux is two inches (five centimetres) taller than former NBA giants Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, and three inches taller than popular big men Yao Ming, Tacko Fall and Shawn Bradley. He already owned a spot in the Guinness record book when he signed with Florida in 2024.
Head coach Todd Golden gave Rioux the option of playing sparingly as a true freshman or taking a redshirt season and working on his game. Rioux chose the latter. Nonetheless, he was a walking viral video, from riding his custom-made bike on campus, to ducking under every doorway, to cutting down nets while standing flat-footed during Florida’s NCAA Tournament run.
Golden made it clear before the season that Rioux would only play late in blowouts, the result of having all four frontcourt players returning. But Rioux doubled down on wanting to be at Florida and welcomed the challenge of playing against Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten in practice and behind them in games.
He was always the bigger — literally — attraction.
--with files from The Associated Press
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