Rioux Finds New Home at UC Irvine

0:00On April 30th, Florida's 7-foot-9 center, Olivier Ryu, just picked his next stop after a month in the transfer portal. The big man from Quebec announced he's heading to UC Irvine. He spent two years with the Gators, red-shirting during their national championship run in 2025 and playing just 11 games last season, for seven total points and six rebounds. Ryu came in as a three-star recruit from IMG Academy, needing time to build stamina at his size. College ball demands a lot from giants like him, and Florida saw he required more minutes to grow into a real contributor. UC Irvine knows how to develop towering talent. They turned seven-foot-six Mamdu and DI into a double-digit score and rebounder over four years, earning him big-west defensive player of the year, honors twice in all conference nods. For the Gators, this isn't a huge hit. Coach Todd Golden brings back key front court starters, and Ryu was deep on the bench, mostly checking in late with blowout leads. Ryu gets a fresh shot at real run in Irvine, where the anteaters can mold that rare height

1:04into something special on the court.