From the moment he stepped on campus, Tacko Fall became the most important and most attention-grabbing player for UCF. There is still a lot of growing to do
It is hard to miss him.
He towers over everyone in the room, forcing media to work those triceps and lats and raise their recorders a bit higher. Cameras have to be pointed up and media services have to position him just right.
Tacko Fall changes everything for UCF just by his mere presence alone. And that presence happens to be a 7-foot-6, 300-pound freshman still growing in every way possible on and off the court.
Star sophomore guard B.J. Taylor said Tacko Fall is the first person he has every seen who can dunk without jumping. Any type of size is going to change the game that way.
And aside from the oddity of a 7-foot-6 player, Fall brings a little bit more to the table with his surprising agility for a player his size.
“The thing that has been most impressive with Tacko is his ability to listen and pick up things quick,” UCF coach Donnie Jones said at UCF’s media day in October. “Big guys it usually takes longer because they try to process it. But with Tacko, he has great hands, great feet, he is a terrific runner. You obviously can’t teach 7-6, 300 pounds running the floor. But the thing he has picked up on quickly is one, he is much more physical and tougher than I thought.”
Of course, first the Knights have to get Fall on the court.
The NCAA did not clear Fall until Friday morning, the day before UCF opens its season at Davidson.
Fall came to the United States from Senegal before his junior year of high school. He bounced around high schools before settling in at Liberty Christian Prep in Tavares for his senior year.
Fall got caught up in the NCAA’s clearing machinery and has become a victim of the organization’s bureaucracy.
What has been most harmful has been the delay in the NCAA’s decision on whether to clear Fall or not. They have already kept Fall from participating in practice now before his late clearance from the NCAA.
At some point in the near future though, Fall will get on the court and will become the <ahem> center of attention for the Knights.
“He’s just a great person,” Fall said of Jones. “I’ve known coach Jones since high school. He was the first coach who recruited me. You don’t see people like him. He’s a great person.
“I really don’t know (the vision). I really can’t explain. I just feel like it was the right fit. He’s a great recruiter, that’s all I can say.”
Jones certainly based a decent chunk of his gameplan around what Fall could potentially bring on the floor. He wants a defense that can pressure up the floor and rely on the interior rim protection to cover the backside.
Fall though still has a lot of growing to do. He has had to go through some physical practices with experienced big men Staphon Blair and Justin McBride. Despite their lack of height, they know how to push and prod a young big man, getting him ready to play the college game.
Jones too is someone who can help develop the young big man too. He helped develop Joakim Noah and Al Horford while an assistant at Florida and coached Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside while at Marshall. Jones said Fall reminds him some of the raw Whiteside because Fall has yet truly to grow into his body.
That is a common problem with players as tall as him. So too is learning how to take care of player like Fall. Jones said his trainers reached out to trainers with the Rockets to better prepare for handling Fall day to day and taking care of his body.
Fall though will play an important role for UCF throughout the season. While Blair has senior leadership and experience on his side, he lacks a lot of size and is better suited as a traditional power forward. Justin McBride has yet to go through the crucible of playing starter’s minutes yet.
Fall will have to be ready to contribute immediately for the Knights.
“He has been welcomed in here as a freshman at the level and intensity he has got to play at,” Jones said. “He doesn’t back down and doesn’t stop. His upside is through the roof. He isn’t a finished product by any means. He’s still learning the game, it’s fast for him. Sometimes he is a little overwhelmed because he hasn’t learned the whole picture. It’s only his third year of organized basketball. The good news for him is that we will simplify his role when it comes to game time.”
Expectations should be tempered some, but not by much. Fall will make an immediate impact by his size alone. The question is whether that size alone will define him.
As he learns the game, the attention on him will grow. The good news is he is eager to learn and eager to take on that burden when it comes.
The added attention from the eligibility issue that dragged on too long and his height alone just make his story all the more intriguing for UCF.
What he can do on the court though will make him the center of attention and the focus of UCF’s season.
