Tacko Fall thankful for faith, family and team

On this Thanksgiving, Tacko Fall is thankful for a lot of things.

One of which is that he's back on the court after seeing last season cut short due to injury. Fall seemed back to his old self during the Myrtle Beach Invitational last weekend, scoring double digits in all three wins while racking up blocks and rebounds.

On Wednesday, UCF media caught up with the 7-foot-6 senior.

Obviously FAU was a disappointing loss. I know you're not going to win every game. Games like that are going to happen. Did that loss say anything to you guys that you needed to bring it every game or sharpen your focus going into Myrtle Beach?

"I think it did. Like you said, not everything is always going to be perfect. You've got to come into games with a certain focus, no matter who you play. That kind of game can't happen again. We shifted our focus and the guys were locked in going into the tournament and we took care of business."

How would you gauge the overall weekend? You beat every team by at least 16 points.

"It felt great. It just shows you what kind of team we are and what we can be if everybody is locked in and we do what we're supposed to do. Especially if we take care of the defensive end. Even though some of us haven't really played together, the chemistry is starting picking up and we started getting comfortable playing with each other, playing in the right place, in and out. That was really helpful for us during the weekend."

How good was it to see everybody pretty much step up? It wasn't like it was one player dominating the scoring.

"It felt great. That's how a team is supposed to work. Not just one guy doing everything for us. You've got to help each other. I got B.J.'s back. He's got my back. Aubrey's got our back. Terrell, Chad is doing great. Collin is bringing the effort. All the other guys. The bench was locked in. You got Ceas. Everybody was into it. For me, it was a really good experience."

Crashing the boards was lacking vs. FAU. You came out against Cal State Fullerton and really dominated. Was that a focus?

"We're probably the biggest team in the country. It's only right for us to lead teams in rebounding as long as we're aggressive. Sometimes you may also worry the ref might call certain fouls because you're so much bigger than everybody and you don't want to go over people. At the same time, those are things you can't control. You've got to do the things you can control. Be aggressive and crash the boards every time. That's what happened."

One guy that looks like he's really stepped up this year is Terrell Allen. He's shooting the ball well. He's showing an offensive game that we didn't really see last year. What are you seeing out of Terrell? Did he put in a lot of hard work over the summer to get better?

"I think Terrell probably had one of the best summers I've seen. He worked really hard on and off the court. He talked to coaches. Watching film. He's done the right things. It's only right that it's showing off right now."

In addition to wanting to win games, you guys played three games in four days, that's what you'll have to do in March with conference and NCAA tournaments. Did you think about that in the back of your mind that this was a good warmup for how that's going to work at the end of the year?

"Absolutely. It was definitely a good experience just to show us what we need to do to prepare. We were there a couple years ago where we played against Villanova and we lost that game. We came back and we won this weekend which was great. At the same time, it helped us prepare for what's to come, coming into March. If we do what we're supposed to do, we'll be there. As long as we keep working. It's a process. We've got to keep working. Knock off all the distractions and outside noise. It's about what happens on the court. Take care of business and everything else will take care of itself."

How are you feeling? Coming off the injury, you're now a little bit into the season, playing a lot of minutes. Are you feeling good?

"Yeah. My teammates have been great helping me. The coaches too. We're starting to get used to playing with each other a lot more. For me, it's great just being back out there and playing."

What did you think seeing Aubrey get hot there in the second half there against Western Kentucky?

"Aubrey is a great player. Once he gets hot, he's really hard to stop."

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for?

"I'm thankful for God. For my family. My teammates. Everything that I've been blessed with. I feel like especially these past couple years, everything that we've been through. Injuries. God has helped me through a lot. I'm really thankful for that. I'm thankful every day. Not just for Thanksgiving."

Did you learn what Thanksgiving food was about when you got to the United States? What are you favorite foods?

"I think I know. It's about the Indians, right? They had a dinner. I do know about that. I like turkey. I think my favorite side is probably sweet potato casserole. I love sweet potatoes, especially with cinnamon. And mac and cheese. I like it real cheesy."