There seems to be a hard way and an easy way to interview Olivier Rioux, the Florida Gators’ 7-foot-9 center.
Standing right beside Rioux, peering up as he towers over you, seems to be the hard way. Fox Sports and NBC college basketball broadcaster John Fanta tried that method Friday.
Rioux redshirted as a freshman this season. But he and his Florida teammates are in the media spotlight as they prepare to play Auburn on Saturday night in the first NCAA Final Four semifinal.
Fanta caught up with Rioux in the locker room and asked the big man a few questions. The broadcaster posted a video of the interview on X, and the results speak for themselves.
The first thing you notice is that the person working the camera got quite a workout, panning back and forth between Fanta and Rioux. Also, will Fanta need a trip to the chiropractor after craning his neck to look up at Rioux?
As for the interview itself, some media and fans found Rioux’s answers amusing. Fanta asked him, “If you could go out with any three celebrities, living or dead, who would you go out with?”
Rioux’s answer: “Leonardo DiCaprio.”
By contrast, here’s an interview with Rioux seated. Much easier on the cameraman, the reporter doesn’t have to strain his neck, etc.
Luckily for Fanta, a rising star in the broadcasting industry, he’s done mostly eye-to-eye interviews at the Final Four.
But when it comes to Olivier Rioux, even the best of the best, like John Fanta, have to look up, both literally and figuratively.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.