ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF men’s basketball head coach Donnie Jones wants to keep local talent at home, and for the second straight year he’s done that by signing Central Florida stars. Jones announced Chad Brown (Deltona, Fla.), Tanksley Efianayi (Orlando, Fla.) and Tacko Fall (Tavares, Fla.) as new members of the Knights family on Wednesday.
“I’m really excited about this group,” Jones said. “They bring length, rebounding, shot blocking, shooting, scoring and defense. When you can bring a class in that is composed of all of those attributes, you have a chance to make an immediate impact on your program.
“Our focus has always been to start at home in trying to find the players that fit our mold,” Jones continued. “From there we go and look across the country, but we’ve been fortunate to have success in our own back yard. It means a lot to them to put that jersey on and play in front of their home crowds.”
At 7-6, Fall is currently the tallest high school basketball player in the nation and four inches taller than any current player in the NBA. Originally from Senegal, he has been playing high school ball at Liberty Christian Prep while living in Tavares. Fall, who sports an eight-foot wingspan, averaged 11.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season.
“Tacko is going to excite a lot of our fans,” Jones said. “Because of his size he already has the skill to block shots and rebound. He has great length and is a really good runner for his size. This is only his second year playing so he’s still learning the game, but obviously he can change the game immediately with his size.”
Brown, a 6-9 forward/center out of Deltona High School, has been rated as high as the 22nd best center in the country and is a four star prospect according to Scout.com. A first team all-area selection, he led the Wolves with 13 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game as a junior.
“Chad is long, he’s athletic. He can already rebound and block shots at the college level,” Jones said. “Chad has a huge upside. He reminds me a bit of Staphon Blair coming in as a freshman and we’re excited about Chad coming in.”
Efianayi was a standout at University High School right here in Orlando before spending last season playing at Daytona State College. The 6-6 wing is one of the most highly touted junior college players in the country and is currently leading the nation with 27.0 points per game through four contests as a sophomore.
“Tank will bring experience. He’ll bring toughness,” Jones said. “He will be a guy who can come in and compete at a high level physically. He can score, he can defend and he can rebound the basketball. He was really highly recruited and I know he’ll bring a lot to our program.”
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