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Florida's 7-Foot-9 Freshman Has Special Connection With Top Transfer Portal Player

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Kevin Matthew Borba | Last updated Apr 19, 2025 8:11 PM ET

No team in college basketball is safe from transfer portal attrition, not even the NCAA Tournament Championship-winning Florida Gators.

As Todd Golden looks to rebuild his roster after they won the program's third title, the Gators have already made a major splash in the portal. Although they only have one transfer set to come in as of Saturday, he happens to be one of the best players in the portal in Princeton transfer, Xaivian Lee.

Ranked as the No. 28 player in the portal, Lee had interest from programs such as Duke, Kansas, Stanford and St. John's among others, but ultimately chose to link back up with his high school teammate, Thomas Haugh. However, Haugh wasn't the only player on the Gators' roster that had a connection with Lee, as 7-foot-9 freshman Olivier Rioux, had also played ball with Lee before.

The two each hail from Canada, representing the Great White North during the U-19 World Cup in 2023.

Thomas Haugh is not the only Florida Gator that played with Xaivian Lee prior to college.

Olivier Rioux played with Xaivian Lee on the Canadian U-19 World Cup Team.

Rioux is #0 and Lee is #4 in the below photo. pic.twitter.com/9pMIKdn2mH
— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) April 17, 2025

Although he didn't end up going to a traditional powerhouse in Princeton, Lee did lead that team in scoring. For the tournament, he averaged 14.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

As for Rioux, he had less of an imapct, as he averaged just 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds.

Rioux didn't appear in a game this season for the Gators, as Golden revealed he was redshirting. The head coach revealed to the media that Rioux will need to continue to improve even to see time next season.

"He obviously doesn't play for us this year," Golden said in March. "I think it's a challenge next year. But if he sticks with it down the road, I think he can become an impactful player."

Maybe a year under his belt at the college level along with teaming up with a familiar face in Lee could help expedite his development.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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