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Tacko Fall could be more than his height, but that is the start

By Philip Rossman-Reich

FORT WORTH, TX - FEBRUARY 10: UCF Knights center Tacko Fall (#24) plays defense during the American Athletic Conference college basketball game between the UCF Knights and SMU Mustangs on February 10, 2019 at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - FEBRUARY 10: UCF Knights center Tacko Fall (#24) plays defense during the American Athletic Conference college basketball game between the UCF Knights and SMU Mustangs on February 10, 2019 at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Tacko Fall, UCF Knights
CHICAGO, IL – MAY 17: Jaylen Hands #2 and Tacko Fall #89 high five during Day Two of the 2019 NBA Draft Combine on May 17, 2019 at the Quest MultiSport Complex in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Tom Lynn/NBAE via Getty Images) /

UCF Knights center Tacko Fall is hard to miss, towering over everyone at 7-foot-7. That will be where his career starts, but he can prove to be much more.

Usually, Mohamed Bamba is the biggest person in the room.

The 7-foot center with the 7-foot-10 wingspan is hard to miss anywhere he goes. He towers over everyone around him. And when he is playing basketball, teams have to figure out a way to navigate his massive wingspan. As he figures out how best to position himself, he will become a terror in the paint.

But on this Monday, Mohamed Bamba is not the biggest guy in the room. As Tacko Fall saunters over toward him while he shoots free throws at the Advent Health Practice Facility, he suddenly looks small. His slight frame becomes more apparent (at least this time, it is not his fault) and he is suddenly looking up.

There is just a bigger person nearby. And Fall dwarfs Bamba, incredibly.

The two have developed a bit of a friendship. One of Tacko Fall’s teammates with the UCF Knights, Ibrahim Famouke Doumbia, is good friends with Mohamed Bamba. The two linked up throughout the season and Fall was a presence at Magic games throughout the season.

It is simply hard to miss when a 7-foot-7 man comes into a room. It is hard not to notice him on the floor. And it is hard for him not to make an impact.

That was part of what Fall had to learn during the course of his four years at UCF.

He immediately changed the team with his size alone. As he refined some of his skills and became a more reliable player doing the little things, he became an even greater weapon, leading UCF to its first at-large NCAA Tournament berth and first NCAA Tournament win in school history as a senior.