Today's Article

“It’s not something he can hide from you. You can’t put on a hat and not be 7-5 anymore.”

You heard right. Ollie is 7 foot 5 and at 15 years old he stands as the tallest teenager in the world according to the Guinness World Records.

“My mom is 6-2 and my dad is 6-8.”

2Height runs in the Canadian big man’s family. Here’s his size 20 shoe, next to my 3humble size 10.

“When I was 10, 11, 12, I started growing and it was getting fast. Because like every week I was like getting height. Yeah, I was like taller than every kid in my school.”

At 7 foot 5, Ollie is a giant on the basketball court, and of course, that has his 4advantages.

Ollie is not just big. He’s 5talented. He’s a 6phenomenal passer, he can shoot the three and finish at the rim. First-year head coach Jeremy Schiller’s goal is to 7maximize his 8potential.

“The biggest thing when you say when you meet him, you know you’re concerned: is he skilled, can he move, what’s his motor like, does he like basketball? Those are the things you’re nervous about when you’re meeting a 7-5 kid and start to work with him. The first thing is he loves basketball. So, that, that’s huge. Some kids are tall and people make them do it.”

Rioux is proof that 9embracing what makes you 10unique can help you reach new heights.