(Photo by Bryce Brimhall / New Day Review)
ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Central Florida started its season short-handed. First, center Tacko Fall missed the first two games of the 2017-18 season because of a minor hip injury. Then, point guard B.J. Taylor, UCF’s leading scorer last season (17.4 points per game), suffered a fractured foot after 26 minutes in the season-opening win over Mercer University.
Needless to say, Fall’s season debut in a 75-64 win over the College of William & Mary Saturday afternoon was a welcome sight for UCF players and head coach Johnny Dawkins alike. He finished the game with 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting, seven rebounds (one offensive) and a block in 15 minutes of action. The 7-foot-6 junior also shot 3-for4 from the free-throw line after shooting a combined 49.1 percent in his first two seasons.
“Well I thought Tacko’s debut was good,” Dawkins said after the win. “He was very efficient. He rebounded; he scored around the basket, and I think you can see the improvements that he’s made in his game even though he’s been out for a while. I know he’s not fully where we want him, but I think today was a good indication of, you know, the type of player he can become, and I was just excited to see him back out there.”
Said redshirt senior A.J. Davis on the return of Fall: “Beautiful. It’s great, man. He’s one of a kind. You know, it’s hard to simulate playing with somebody like him. He’s just such a special piece to our game, in general. You know, for him to be that size and, you know, move how he does, and, you know, he’s really starting to learn the game and how he can affect the game. You know, it’s great to have him back on the court and getting healthy.”
In Fall’s stead, Rokas Ulvydas and Chad Brown have manned the paint. Ulvydas earned the starting nod in the first two wins over Mercer and Gardner-Webb University, but Brown started the most recent win over William & Mary, his second start in three seasons as a Knight.
Ulvydas, who was with the team last season but sat out because of NCAA transfer rules, hasn’t made a significant statistical impact yet, playing just 23 minutes over the past three games. He played just four minutes, took zero shots and had one turnover in the win over the Tribe. His time on the court could shrink with Fall’s return.
As for Brown, his offseason work has paid off. He figured prominently in the Knights’ first two games, scoring 16 points and collecting 14 rebounds (eight offensive) in 45 total minutes. Against William & Mary, Brown played just 18 minutes, recording two points on 1-for-2 shooting and four rebounds (one offensive).
Brown’s relative lack of productivity against the Tribe isn’t deterring Dawkins from keeping Brown at the 5 until Fall is ready to return as the regular starter.
“We’ll see. I haven’t made any decisions on that as of now,” Dawkins said. “It’s one of [those] things where, you know, we’re off tomorrow; we’ll practice on Monday; we’ll watch tonight, and then we’ll start to make those decisions. But, as of now, Chad is our starting big, and I thought he did a really good job for us as well.”
The Knights will next prepare for the Advocare Invitational in Lake Buena Vista wherein UCF will play three games in four days.
For more on the Knights, as they prepare for the Advocare Invitational, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
