Tacko Fall wants to lead UCF to the Big Dance
Tacko Fall has unfinished business - and that's to lead UCF to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than a decade.
The 7-foot-6 center, who flirted with the idea of leaving for the NBA a year ago, made things crystal clear this week with an announcement that he will definitely be back for his senior season.
That's not exactly a surprise considering a shoulder injury and resulting surgery ended his junior season in mid-January. Fall's setback was one of just one of several injuries for Johnny Dawkins' Knights, who went from a hopeful NCAA Tournament candidate to one that just missed out on the NIT.
"I didn't like the way my season ended," Fall said. "Injuries, you can't control that. B.J. (Taylor) got hurt. Aubrey (Dawkins) didn't play with us. A.J. (Davis) got hurt and didn't play a couple games. We got hit by a lot of injuries. I felt like we didn't do as good as we could have because of that. I still have some things to take care of before I leave school. UCF has meant a lot to me, even before I got here. I felt like before I left here I have to do something big... I definitely want to make the NCAA Tournament. That's a big thing I want to do. I want to make a run and just leave my mark at UCF."
As long as UCF can stay healthy, they could be the favorite to win the American Athletic Conference next season with teams like Cincinnati, Wichita State and Houston faced with replacing key contributors.
"We have all the tools we need," Fall said. "Most of the guys are returning. A lot of guys that played last year have gained a lot of experience,. B.J.'s back, Aubrey’s 100 percent and obviously I’ll be back. We’re going to be a lot older. Chad (Brown) is going to be a senior too and we got Dayon (Griffin) who is going to be a senior, so we're going to be a pretty old team that's got a lot of experience. I’m really looking forward to it."
Plus they'll add Collin Smith, a 6-foot-11 center transfer from George Washington who sat out last season.
"Collin is very skilled and he's gotten a lot stronger and better since he played at GW. He's really a fun guy to play with. He's got a lot of enthusiasm and he's always happy. You guys are going to see."
In his three years at UCF, Fall says he's now a lot more mature and becoming a better leader, thanks to guidance from Dawkins. Defense has always been his bread and butter, but he's hopeful his offensive game will be just as feared.
"Defense is really my strength," Fall said. "Just me being out there can make a difference... That's probably what my biggest impact is. Offensively, I've improved a lot. Last year I really didn't get the chance to do it because of injuries, but last summer was really good for me. I didn't get to show what I worked on, but next season it'll definitely show."
Fall said rehab is going "great" but he likely won't receive full medical clearance until July.