2024-25 NCAA Basketball Thread

[MU82]

I thought it would be fun to start with this item I just read in the Yahoo Sports e-newsletter:

Alright, this needs to be a bigger story: A freshman on the Florida basketball team is the tallest teenager in the world — and he just keeps getting taller.

‌Meet Olivier Rioux: The 18-year-old from Terrebonne, Quebec, played high school hoops at IMG Academy in Florida, where he was a 3-star recruit and the No. 310 player in the 2024 class, per 247Sports.

++ At eight years old, Rioux was 6-foot-1. By sixth grade, he was almost 7 feet tall. When he signed with the Gators last fall, he was 7-foot-6. Now, he's listed at 7-foot-9.
++ That makes him the tallest teenager in the world and the tallest player in college basketball history, topping 7-foot-8 Paul Sturgess. It would make him the tallest player in NBA history, too, should he make it to the league.
++ And what if he keeps growing? Well, then Gainesville, Florida, may just become home to the world's tallest man, a title currently held by an 8-foot-3 Turkish farmer named Sultan Kösen.

What he's saying: "We're still not 100% sure why I'm so tall ... doctors could only explain it with the genetics that my family has. My father is 6-foot-8, my mom is 6-foot-2 and my older brother is 6-foot-9," Rioux told Guinness World Records. "This is what nature planned for me. I learned to be peaceful and happy about it."

‌

[brewcity77]

It's an interesting story, but worth noting he's a walk-on, so I wouldn't expect him to contribute much.

[lawdog77]

It's an interesting story, but worth noting he's a walk-on, so I wouldn't expect him to contribute much.

A walkon with plenty of  NIL opportunities,  especially from Cajun restaurants.  You can't make gumbo without a roux

[PGsHeroes32]

Hopefully he develops.

Would be absolutely miserable to be that tall and suck at basketball

[MU82]

Hopefully he develops.

Would be absolutely miserable to be that tall and suck at basketball

Ha!

[WhiteTrash]

Hopefully he develops.

Would be absolutely miserable to be that tall and suck at basketball

So true. I have an old friend who is 7',after two heart surgeries before age 40, said he would be happy to be 5'5". BUT, the girls flocked to him when he was younger, so there is that. 

[wadesworld]

So true. I have an old friend who is 7',after two heart surgeries before age 40, said he would be happy to be 5'5". BUT, the girls flocked to him when he was younger, so there is that.

Being sub 5'6" sounds like the worst thing in the world to me.

[PGsHeroes32]

Being sub 5'6" sounds like the worst thing in the world to me.

But what about to Muggs?

[The Sultan]

I'm 6'4". If you gave me a choice between being a foot taller or a foot smaller, and basketball wasn't part of the equation, I would choose a foot smaller. Not even a question.

[Scoop Snoop]

Hopefully he develops.

Would be absolutely miserable to be that tall and suck at basketball

I was one of the tallest boys in 8th grade and caught a lot of crap from my classmates for my "performance" on the marked off part of the school parking lot for bball.

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

I'm 6'4". If you gave me a choice between being a foot taller or a foot smaller, and basketball wasn't part of the equation, I would choose a foot smaller. Not even a question.

6'4" sounds like the high end of the perfect height range. I'm hanging on to 6'2" and have always been happy with my height, especially at concerts and events like that.

[The Sultan]

6'4" sounds like the high end of the perfect height range. I'm hanging on to 6'2" and have always been happy with my height, especially at concerts and events like that.

I would be fine with being a little shorter. Flying is a pain.

[MUbiz]

I would be fine with being a little shorter. Flying is a pain.

I am 6' 1" and i would not want to be any taller for the same reason as you - flying. Whenever someone in front of me puts the seatback down, I just cringe.

[Scoop Snoop]

I am 6' 1" and i would not want to be any taller for the same reason as you - flying. Whenever someone in front of me puts the seatback down, I just cringe.

Amen to that, brother. I'm also 6'1 and feel folded up in airplane seats as it is. I admit to bracing with my knees to limit the amount the passenger in front of me can recline the seat.

[Pepe Sylvia]

Im 5'10" and airplanes suck no matter how big you are i think

[muwarrior69]

It's an interesting story, but worth noting he's a walk-on, so I wouldn't expect him to contribute much.

Just put him under the basket and practice making FTs. He is probably good for 10 ppg.

[The Sultan]

Just put him under the basket and practice making FTs. He is probably good for 10 ppg.

He'll foul out long before he hits 10 ppg.

[Jay Bee]

Taller, more traditional Mbao

[lawdog77]

I would be fine with being a little shorter. Flying is a pain.

First class or private planes are fine

[MU82]

Cooper Flagg signs a shoe deal with New Balance before he ever laces 'em up at Duke.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/41000405/duke-cooper-flagg-signs-new-balance-shoe-endorsement-deal

[Jay Bee]

Cooper Flagg signs a shoe deal with New Balance before he ever laces 'em up at Duke.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/41000405/duke-cooper-flagg-signs-new-balance-shoe-endorsement-deal

I'm sure they're giving kids some nice bread, but if I'm 17 I'm not feeling great about being an ambassador for freaking "New Balance"

[StillAWarrior]

Cooper Flagg signs a shoe deal with New Balance before he ever laces 'em up at Duke.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/41000405/duke-cooper-flagg-signs-new-balance-shoe-endorsement-deal

He'll still have to play in Nike though, right?

He should sabotage the Nike shoes and have a Logterman-type mishap in the middle of the UNC game so he can mention the reliability of the New Balance shoes in the post-game presser.

[StillAWarrior]

I'm sure they're giving kids some nice bread, but if I'm 17 I'm not feeling great about being an ambassador for freaking "New Balance"

Apparently it's a Maine thing. Hell, if they'll give the local kid a signature shoe it could work out well for him.

Edited to add: I was a little surprised to see the New Balance sponsored basketball players include Kawhi Leonard, Tyrese Maxey, Darius Garland, Jamal Murray, and Zach LaVine among others. This could work out to be a pretty nice deal for Flagg.

[lawdog77]

Apparently it's a Maine thing. Hell, if they'll give the local kid a signature shoe it could work out well for him.

Edited to add: I was a little surprised to see the New Balance sponsored basketball players include Kawhi Leonard, Tyrese Maxey, Darius Garland, Jamal Murray, and Zach LaVine among others. This could work out to be a pretty nice deal for Flagg.

You must have missed the 1 million new balance commercials during the Olympics.

[StillAWarrior]

You must have missed the 1 million new balance commercials during the Olympics.

Honestly, I very rarely watch commercials. That's true as a general rule, but even more extreme during the Olympics. If a commercial came on when I was watching "live" I would flip back to multi-view and switch to one of the other channels showing events. If a commercial came on when I was behind, I'd just fast forward through it.