BRADENTON, Fla. – (WWSB) Imagine being the tallest teenager on the planet and playing basketball for IMG Academy right here on the Suncoast.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, Olivier Rieux is 7'7 and a half. and 295 pounds.
He is taller than Shaquille O'Neal, Yao Ming, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Olivier Riou, known as Olly on the basketball court, moved to Florida's Suncoast from Quebec, Canada. He currently serves as center for the IMG Academy Ascenders boys varsity team.
He spoke to ABC7 sports anchor James Hill in our exclusive interview about how he describes playing basketball from the line. I can make the right decisions and know what I'm capable of,” Olivier Rieux said.
What he does is use his height advantage to play basketball while learning the game in one of the best environments for student-athletes in the world.
According to Guinness, at the age of 16, Olivier Rieu holds the record for being the tallest male teenager on the planet, at 7 feet 5.33.
He's currently 7-foot-7, but he's definitely still growing.
IMG Head Basketball Coach Sean McAloon tells ABC7 Sports Anchor James Hill why Olivier Rieux is such a talented player and is known throughout the country when he wears a Florida Gators basketball jersey. I told him how it would turn out. “It was a very educational experience for him. He's getting better every day. I know he's not doing as well as he would like, but I saw progress in practice. .What's going to happen is he's going to get to Florida and they're going to start working on him and making him better and it's going to be at some point, but when is that going to be? “I don't know, but he's going to leave his mark one day,” said Sean McAloon.
Olivier Rue says he enjoys living in Bradenton and attending IMG Academy, which prepares him for the University of Florida. She is very high and I am very happy to be here,” said Olivier Rieux.
Remember Olivier Rieu, the 7-foot-7 basketball center who plays a key position for the IMG Academy Ascenders.
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