Following a season shortened by injuries, center Tacko Fall has decided he will play his senior season at the University of Central Florida.
Fall was officially sidelined for the remainder of the 2017-18 season on Jan. 20 after the team announced he would have season-ending shoulder surgery. He dealt with the shoulder injury all season long. In addition to his shoulder, the Dakar, Senegal, native nursed a nagging hip injury to start the season.
He completed the season averaging 7.3 rebounds per game, 1.9 blocks per game and a career-high 11.3 points per game but in just 16 games and 15 starts.
“It left a feeling of unfinished business. This is not the way I want to leave this school,” Fall said, per the Knights’ press release. “I came here to do something big. I feel like before I leave here, I gotta leave my mark. That’s what really weighed into my decision to stay.”
This isn’t the first time Fall has considered going to the draft; in fact, he declared for the draft at the end of last season. While retaining his eligibility, Fall worked out with five National Basketball Association teams but eventually decided to stay with a team that seemed prepared to take a step into the annual NCAA tournament.
“Last year when I went through the process, I got a lot of good feedback,” Fall said. “I had the opportunity to make the move, but it wasn’t what I really wanted. I thought I could do better.”
UCF was coming off a semifinal run into the 2017 National Invitation Tournament, but injuries ultimately doomed the Knights this past season.
Apart from Fall missing the latter half of the season, star point guard B.J. Taylor also suffered a fractured foot in the season opener and didn’t return until January. Guard Aubrey Dawkins also missed the entire season with an injury, and redshirt sophomore Chance McSpadden missed games at the end of the season.
“We had everything we needed. We had all the pieces,” Fall said. “Unfortunately, we got hit by injuries. Things happened that I couldn’t control. Having all those injuries really changed everything.”
For more on Fall and the Knights, as they prepare for the 2018-19 season, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
