UCF basketball ready to reach new heights
UCF basketball is eager to reach new heights — literally and figuratively.
First, the program made national headlines when it landed one of college basketball’s tallest athletes in 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall. Coincidentally, the Knights will host UC Irvine, the only other NCAA team with a 7-foot-6 center, Mamadou Ndiaye, on Nov. 18.
There’s no question Fall’s presence alone is a game-changer for the team. But equally important is how UCF’s young team has matured mentally and physically in time for a season it believes will yield more positive results than the 2014-15 campaign.
The Knights, led by then-freshman guards B.J. Taylor and Adonys Henriquez, finished 12-18 and were bounced out of the American Athletic Conference tournament in the first round by conference newcomer East Carolina.
“I just think that we really want to win this year. We know we have a chance to win with the guys that we have,” said guard A.J. Davis, who sat out last season as a transfer from Tennessee. “Last year, we didn’t really know what to expect. We didn’t know who was gonna lead us and everybody was trying to find their roles and find their place, but this year we know what to expect.”
Taylor and Henriquez are bigger and stronger. Justin McBride, the team’s 6-foot-10, 300-pound plus center is smaller.
But the biggest physical changes to UCF’s basketball team is its overall height from players like Davis, a 6-foot-9 combo guard and forward, 6-foot-9 freshman forward Chad Brown and, of course, Fall.
“Tacko’s got great hands, great feet, he’s a terrific runner. Obviously, you can’t teach 7-6, 300 pounds running the floor,” UCF coach Donnie Jones said. “But the thing that he’s picked up quickly is he’s much more physical and tougher than I thought. He’s taken some really competitive, tough practices from Justin McBride and Staphon Blair, so he’s been welcomed in here as a freshman at the level of intensity that he’s got to play at.”
Jones said the school is still waiting for Fall to get clearance from the NCAA to compete. It’s common for the academic vetting process for international players to take longer. Jones said he’s hoping to hear something within the next week.
UCF basketball is competing with a full roster for the first time in three years since being hit by the NCAA with scholarship reductions.
The additional scholarships mean the team is finally two-deep in each position. And last season’s young players are a year older and wiser, balanced with the team’s three seniors, Blair, Shaheed Davis and guard Daiquan Walker. With more depth and size, Jones is hopeful for better results.
“One thing we’ve seen in this league is the length and size of guard play, so now coming in with Tank [Efianayi] and Adonys at 6-6 and Matt [Williams] at 6-5, we’ve got bigger guards,” Jones said. “It’s been very competitive in practice and we’ve had some flat-out battles here in this gym, which has been great.”
And all of that is good news for UCF considering Orlando is the host city for this season’s conference tournament.
“I’m just excited because we have all the fans that can show up,” Blair said. “When we had the conference tournament at UConn last season, we didn’t have a fan base there and there was no atmosphere where we could get hyped and get excited about anything. But being here, it’s gonna be way better.”
sgreen@orlando sentinel.com