A 7’6 Freshman And His 3.6 High School GPA Will Sue The NCAA If He’s Not Granted An Academic Waiver

Senegalese phenom Tacko Fall is probably best known for being the tallest high school basketball player in the world. At a truly vertiginous 7’6, he can do some pretty amazing things on the basketball court. But basketball isn’t what defines him. As a three-star high school recruit, Fall entered the University of Central Florida as a freshman this season for the school’s basketball team, the Knights, but also as an engineering major.

But all of that is on hold for now – and perhaps indefinitely – as he remains mired in controversy surrounding his academic eligibility. The impasse has to do with his high school alma mater, Liberty Christian Preparatory School, whose certification status has come under scrutiny of late, the byproduct of which is that the NCAA is not accepting several of Fall’s high school courses and thus prohibiting him from practicing with the team.

Now, Fall has said that he’ll bring civil litigation against the NCAA if he isn’t granted an academic waiver and permitted to return to the basketball court. ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman spoke with Fall’s legal guardian, Amanda Wettstein, about the situation recently:

“Right now, the NCAA seems to be hiding behind his high school, Liberty Christian, not being certified,” Wettstein said. “They aren’t accepting chemistry, calculus and other courses in which he excelled. This slaps in the face of what they say, that they look at each individual circumstance.”

“They are punishing Tacko even though he’s done nothing wrong,” Wettstein said. “It’s like he’s guilty until proven innocent. He needs to be cleared. This is a young man who is a terrific student.”

And by all accounts, Fall appears to have excelled scholastically in several areas as he earned a 3.6 GPA during his junior and senior years.

“I had Tacko in three of my classes,” Liberty Christian teacher Seth Malec told ESPN. “He did everything that was required, asked questions and wanted to learn. He’s a great athlete, but an even better student. I’m surprised the NCAA is giving him a hard time because he’s the type of student they should want.”

It’s looking more and more unlikely that Fall will be cleared to play before UCF opens their season against Davidson this Saturday.

(Via ESPN.com)

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