2017 Central Florida 85 Nos. 1-17: The Best of the Best

4. Tacko Fall, UCF Basketball

It is hard not to notice Tacko Fall on a basketball court. The man is 7-foot-6, after all. The eye is drawn to his massive size. And the UCF Knights the last two years have had to shift their offense to account for him in some way. It is hard to move very much when you are that tall.

Surprisingly, though Tacko Fall has done more than just be the tall guy in the middle. Although that helped him plenty in leading the nation in blocks with 2.6 blocks per game.

Fall is surprisingly athletic for someone his size. He does not have the clunkiness usual for players his size. He can get up and down the floor and move with some fluidity around the basket. And that seemed only to get better in his sophomore year when he averaged 10.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

That, of course, helped UCF reach the NIT Finals and cement UCF as a team to watch this year in the American Athletic Conference.

Fall flirted with the NBA, getting a workout with the Orlando Magic among other teams. That may help him get more feedback on how to improve. He ultimately decided to return to UCF.

But it is hard to avoid his orbit in college. He is the center of attention quite literally. It gives UCF some of that national curiosity factor.

There has never been a player in UCF history quite like him. Not former NBA player Jermaine Taylor or any of the other figures that have come through Orlando to play college basketball. Fall is singular in that. He changes everything for the team.

Fall is the reason why UCF ranked 18th in adjusted defensive rating, according to KenPom. He is the reason why the Knights can withstand an inconsistent offense and still compete for championships.

As much as Johnny Dawkins has changed the expectations for the program. So too has Fall.

It is hard to say how much better Fall can get. He is both taking advantage of his size and somewhat limited by it. But everyone will be watching.