Wake Forest Basketball Recruiting: Tacko Fall

Tacko Fall first came into the national news as a recruit due to his incredible size. At 7’6", Fall towers over every opponent he goes against. Recently, Fall has begun to learn to use his size to his advantage. This has led to a big uptick in his recruiting, as his skill and potential has many teams seriously interested. Earlier this month, Fall cut his list to eight, Georgetown, Wake Forest, Florida St., Vanderbilt, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Florida and Stanford. Danny Manning has shown significant interest in landing Fall with the hopes of landing a very talented big man in the 2015 class.

Tacko Fall’s height is the quality that allows him to stand out on the court. With his size alone, Fall is already a solid rebounder and rim protector. His offensive game is raw but he finishes extremely well at the rim, usually with dunks. His offensive game will continue to improve as his footwork improves, where his post moves could become impossible to block. Fall’s biggest need for improvement is in his stamina. During the AAU season, Fall played just 5.7 minutes per game for E1T1, limiting the impact he could make on the court. With improved skills and stamina, Fall’s size and upside give him the opportunity to be a very talented big man.

Because Fall appears to be more of a project than other top big men in his class, it will be important for him to find a coach that will help him improve his skills. He told us that his biggest factors are "the staff, the environment and academics." Of the three, the coaching staff is a big factor for him. With that in criteria, Fall has been identifying schools that will be able to develop him as a big man, with the hopes of becoming a pro.

Despite being a new coach at Wake Forest, Danny Manning has made an impact on Fall for obvious reasons. "They are really good developing bigs and they would be a really good fit for me." Known as a big man coach, the fit between Manning and Fall appears great.

Currently, Fall’s favorite thing about Wake Forest is the staff, particularly Manning. Tacko Fall said of Manning, "I think he is capable of getting me to the next level." Despite Manning’s inexperience as a coach, his reputation as a big man coach has hit home for Fall.

While a date has not been set yet, Fall hopes to visit Wake Forest this September. The plans will hopefully finalize in the near future, but they are currently in the works. This visit would be big for Fall, as he will be able to get a better feel for how he fits with Wake Forest and Danny Manning as a coach.

A decision may not come for some time, but Tacko Fall and Wake Forest appear to be a great fit. Fall will get elite coaching as well as a great place to showcase his abilities in the ACC. Danny Manning will be getting a very talented big man, as well as a player where he can demonstrate his ability to coach big men to other recruits. The fit appears good so I believe that Wake Forest will be a serious contender for Fall. For what it is worth, Fall is a big Tim Duncan fan, which could help Wake Forest in his recruiting. Make sure you follow Tacko Fall on twitter @tackofall99.