ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Following a standout sophomore season for the UCF men's basketball team, Tacko Fall has expressed interest to the NBA to declare for the 2017 Draft, but is following the guidelines to retain his NCAA eligibility.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for Tacko," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "He will be able to learn more about himself and his game during this process and we will be there to help him along the way."
The 7-foot-6 Fall improved tremendously from his freshman to sophomore season at UCF, earning recognition as the American Athletic Conference's Defensive Player of the Year following the end of the regular season.
He helped lead UCF to 24 wins, its third most victories in a single season ever, scoring 10.9 points and grabbing 9.5 rebounds per game. His 94 blocked shots this season were the sixth most in the nation and were 20 more than any Knight had recorded in a season before this year.
Fall was named The American Player of the Week once and earned Gildan Charleston Classic All-Tournament Team honors after scoring 26 points in a win over Mississippi State and going 10-for-10 from the floor in a loss to No. 3 Villanova.
His 71.5 field goal percentage didn't qualify him for the national rankings, but his two-year shooting mark of 72.7 percent is the best ever in the career of a UCF player. Fall totaled 343 rebounds this season, 75 more than any other Knight during the program's Division I era.
Fall has requested feedback on his draft status from the NBA's undergraduate advisory committee and has until May 24 to take his name out of consideration for the draft according to NCAA guidelines.
"This season has been the most fun I've ever had," Fall said. "What we accomplished this year was special and I thank you all for your continued support. Having said that, it has been a dream of mine to play in the NBA so I look forward to going through the process and I thank Coach Dawkins and the staff for helping me through it."
The 2017 NBA Draft will be held on June 22.
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