Seven-foot-6 Tacko Fall is growing into an impact player for UCF
When Central Florida assistant coach Jamill Jones started working with Tacko Fall last spring, he urged his new center to be honest about something.
“Are you afraid to hurt someone?” Jones asked.
“He said, ‘Yeah,”’ Jones recalled. “Sometimes I notice he may slow up in the middle of his run because in his heart, he’s like, ‘I don’t want to run nobody over.’ … I tell him all the time, ‘Tacko I can’t tell you how to be 7-foot-6. Some things you’re going to have to figure out.”
The Knights have had to make accommodations for their 300-pound sophomore center, who sleeps in a special, extra-long bed and sits in the exit aisle on team trips due to his height. But this year, things are starting to click for college basketball’s tallest player.
Fall, originally from Senegal, is figuring out how to use his size to his advantage and it is showing on the court. The 21-year-old has gone from being a gangly 7-foot-6 anomaly to a real asset for Central Florida. He is averaging 13.4 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game, nearly doubling his numbers from his freshman season, and he’s helped propel the Knights to a 12-4 start.
“It has had a lot to do with my confidence and being stronger and in better shape,” Fall said. “And also being more comfortable playing.”
Fall has had to get comfortable quickly, having only played basketball for four years. In high school, it was easy for him to be the best player on the court. With a 10-foot-5 standing reach, he didn’t have to work to get to the hoop and he could just reach over opposing players. As a freshman, though, Fall realized that his size advantage didn’t guarantee him anything against better competition and that he had to adjust to playing at the collegiate pace.
He spent this offseason improving his conditioning and working to strengthen his lower body to decrease the risk of injuries. Jones is also constantly telling him not to be ashamed of being 7-foot-6. Live above the rim, finish above the rim, block shots above the rim, rebound above the rim.
Even though his coaches and teammates describe him as a “big teddy bear,” Fall often sparks fear in his opponents because of his size. Guards aren’t comfortable shooting over him when they get into the lane and big men aren’t prepared to go up against someone who towers over him.
“He is such a physical specimen,” Jones said. “So when guys see him, mentally he does something to you because you can’t prepare for it. I can tell you all his stats but until you physically have seen him and you’re banging (up against him), it seems like, for a moment, guys are overwhelmed.”
There are still areas where Fall needs to improve, from increasing his lateral quickness so he’s not a liability on pick and roll defense, to adding lower-body strength so he can hold his position despite his higher center of gravity. Nonetheless, how far he’s come in such a short time is catching the attention of NBA evaluators.
DraftExpress.com ranks Fall the No. 36 prospect in the sophomore class and the No. 96 overall prospect. A future in pro basketball is a near-certainty if he stays healthy and an NBA career isn’t out of the question if he keeps improving at a rapid rate.
With the help of his coaches, Fall’s confidence has increased. He’s learned to brush off the “How’s the weather up there?” jokes that have gotten old and focus on the advantages that being tall has given him on the court.
“I’ve been tall my whole life so ducking through doors, people stopping [to ask] for photos, all that kind of stuff, I’ve just gotten used to it,” Fall said. “Even though I’m big, I am an introvert. I don’t like going out a lot. But in general, I’m nice to people. I get asked a lot for pictures and people ask questions (about my height) but I don’t mind.”
Jones couldn’t tell Fall how to be 7-foot-6 but college basketball’s tallest player is starting to figure it out for himself.
