{"id":2282239,"date":"2024-06-23T15:51:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-23T19:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/incoming-freshman-is-tallest-college-basketball-player-ever-at-unbelievable-79\/"},"modified":"2024-06-23T15:57:39","modified_gmt":"2024-06-23T19:57:39","slug":"incoming-freshman-is-tallest-college-basketball-player-ever-at-unbelievable-79","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/incoming-freshman-is-tallest-college-basketball-player-ever-at-unbelievable-79\/","title":{"rendered":"Incoming Freshman Is Tallest College Basketball Player Ever at Unbelievable 7\u20199\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fincoming-freshman-is-tallest-college-basketball-player-ever-at-unbelievable-79%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2282239&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The summary of the provided text focuses on the remarkable case \u2064of Olivier Rioux, an 18-year-old\u200b basketball prodigy from Montreal, Canada, who has reached an extraordinary height \u2064of 7 feet 9 inches. This makes him potentially the tallest \u2064college basketball player ever, surpassing previous record holders. Rioux&#8217;s growth spurt began early, standing at 6-foot-1 at age eight and \u2064surpassing 7 feet \u2063before entering \u200dmiddle school. \u200cHis family is also notably tall, with a father standing at 6-foot-8, a brother at 6-foot-9, and a mother at 6-foot-2.<\/p>\n<p>The article \u200balso notes that Canada is\u200d increasingly\u200b recognized as \u2064a basketball powerhouse \u2062with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/frightened-major-league-superstar-refuses-to-join-teammates-at-haunted-hotel\/\" title=\"Scared MLB Star Won't Stay with Team at 'Haunted' Hotel.\">notable players<\/a> like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort\u200b participating in the Olympics, thus boosting the country\u2019s reputation in the sport. The text hints\u200c that American colleges are keen on tapping into Canadian \u2063talent, exemplified by Rioux&#8217;s\u200d commitment to play at the\u200d University of Florida\u200b in\u200c Gainesville.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from his basketball capabilities and \u200cimpressive height, Rioux faces typical\u2064 challenges related to his\u2064 size, such\u2063 as dealing with low door frames and finding suitable clothing. \u2063Despite these issues, he has expressed contentment with his height and appears to be\u200b looking forward to showcasing his \u2063skills at a larger stage\u200c with the University of Florida.<\/p>\n<p>The text concludes with \u2062an unrelated editorial note concerning the 2024 election, highlighting concerns\u2063 voiced by Gen.\u200d Michael Flynn about potential challenges to\u2063 the election, and \u200da call to \u200csupport \u2064journalism against \u2063the \u2062influence of Big Tech.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>    <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/bchai\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/bchai\/%20\"><span>Bryan Chai<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 23, 2024 at 12:00pm <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>Oh, Canada!<\/p>\n<p>As America\u2019s cousins to the north continue to develop into an international basketball powerhouse \u2014 as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/esfandiarbaraheni\/2024\/06\/19\/team-canada-announces-mens-training-camp-roster-for-2024-olympics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forbes<\/a> notes, Team Canada\u2019s Olympic basketball team is chock full of legit NBA talent, including the league MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an All-Defense player in Lu Dort \u2014 more and more colleges will be looking to Canada to cultivate their next generation of talent.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to 18-year-old Olivier Rioux, a Montreal native according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/06\/21\/sport\/olivier-rioux-tallest-college-basketball-player-cec\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a>, it would be hard to miss him even if Team Canada were not the rising basketball force it was.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s because it\u2019s literally hard to miss Rioux, who comes in at an almost unfathomable 7-foot-9.<\/p>\n<p>No, that\u2019s not a typo.<\/p>\n<p>Seven. Foot. Nine.<\/p>\n<p>Just look at this highlight reel of Rioux\u2019s from 2023, when he was \u201conly\u201d 7-foot-6:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">18-year-old Florida commit Olivier Rioux is now listed at 7\u20199\u201d \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>He was 7\u20195\u201d when we filmed him 2 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>7\u20196\u201d last year (this video).<\/p>\n<p>7\u20197\u201d earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Y4jsbq35wb\">pic.twitter.com\/Y4jsbq35wb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ballislife\/status\/1803506833396736100?\">June 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Do you like college basketball?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Rioux can basically dunk without jumping \u2014 an almost unheard of feat.<\/p>\n<p>Even crazier: At just 18, Rioux could theoretically get taller. He\u2019s still growing.<\/p>\n<p>Assuming his reported 7-foot-9 height is legitimate (basketball is notorious for embellishing heights, though at Rioux\u2019s size, embellishment seems unnecessary), Rioux is ready to break the previous record for the tallest college basketball player ever.<\/p>\n<p>That honor was once held by former Florida Tech and Mountain State center, Paul Sturgess, who comes in at a still-eye-popping 7-foot-8.<\/p>\n<p>Rioux, who will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meanwhile-in-seattle-socialist-city-councilwoman-faces-challenge-from-sustainable-pot-farmer\/\" title=\"Meanwhile, in Seattle: Socialist City Councilwoman Faces Challenge From Sustainable Pot Farmer\">play college basketball<\/a> in Gainesville, Florida, at the University of Florida, would eclipse that record by a full inch.<\/p>\n<p>Should the young Canadian giant choose to continue a basketball career in the NBA, he would set a record there too.<\/p>\n<p>(The tallest basketball player in NBA history is Gheorghe Mure\u0219an, who was a whopping 7-foot-7 while he suited up for the Washington Bullets\/Wizards and the New Jersey Nets. A number of notable NBA centers \u2014 including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/yao-ming-invites-nba-player-tour-china-probably-doesnt-expect-reply-places-ruling-party-definitely-wont-approve\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yao Ming<\/a>, Manute Bol and Shawn Bradley \u2014 are listed at 7-foot-6.)<\/p>\n<p>When Rioux <a href=\"https:\/\/kids.guinnessworldrecords.com\/records\/young-achievers\/olivier-rioux\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spoke<\/a> to Guinness World Records as part of accepting his \u201cWorld\u2019s Tallest Teenager\u201d award (at just 16), he made it clear that he was largely at peace with his rather large frame.<\/p>\n<p> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Tallest Teen on Earth: Montreal basketball prospect Olivier Rioux | W5 INVESTIGATION\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8jGaeJSsDtE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen   style=\"display:none\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt feels great being the height I am. I love it,\u201d Rioux told the record keepers. \u201cI was always taller than the rest of my friends at school or teammates. This is what nature planned for me. I learned to be peaceful and happy about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rioux did admit, however, that door frames (which he would hit with his head occasionally) and finding clothes that fit weren\u2019t very fun.<\/p>\n<p>Rioux does come from a somewhat tall family, though he still towers over them. Rioux\u2019s father is 6-foot-8, his brother 6-foot-9, and his mother 6-foot-2.<\/p>\n<p>According to Rioux\u2019s officialy <a href=\"https:\/\/floridagators.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/olivier-rioux\/16990\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gators profile<\/a>, his height skyrocketed year to year.<\/p>\n<p>The precocious teenager \u201cstood 6-foot-1 at age eight, 6-foot-11 by sixth grade and crossed the 7-foot mark the summer before entering seventh grade.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rioux has a small wait before he will get a chance to shine on his biggest stage yet.<\/p>\n<p>The Gators will next play when the team hosts the University of Virginia Cavaliers on Dec. 4, as part of the annual \u201cSEC-ACC Challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>I heard a chilling comment the other day: \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>That wasn\u2019t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Gen. Flynn\u2019s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>All of this means that <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>without you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>, it\u2019s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-rises-as-he-promises-hes-only-begun-to-fight-put-on-full-armor-of-god-to-fight-the-left\/\" title=\"DeSantis Rises As He Promises He\u2019s \u2018Only Begun To Fight\u2019: \u2018Put On Full Armor Of God\u2019 To Fight The Left\">fight back hard<\/a>, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we\u2019ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can\u2019t continue the fight.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Can we count on <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>your support<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? It may not seem like much, but a <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Western Journal Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  in the fight? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Sincerely,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Western Journal<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-44778\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/bchai\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44778\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44778\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44778\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44778\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate. <\/p>\n<p>  Birthplace <\/p>\n<p>  Hawaii <\/p>\n<p>  Education <\/p>\n<p>  Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN. <\/p>\n<p>  Location <\/p>\n<p>  Phoenix, Arizona <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English, Korean <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  Sports, Entertainment, Science\/Tech <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News by Bryan Chai, June 23, 2024 &#8211; Canada is emerging as a global basketball force. Forbes highlights that the Olympic team boasts numerous NBA stars, such as league MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and All-Defense standout Lu Dort, underscoring its ascent in international basketball rankings<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2015,"featured_media":2282240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Picture-12.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[12279,25687,32305,18288,32306],"class_list":["post-2282239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-unbelievable","tag-25687","tag-college-basketball","tag-freshman","tag-tallest-player"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Picture-12.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2282239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2015"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2282239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2282239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2282240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2282239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2282239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2282239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}