ORLANDO, Fla. -- A year ago, the reflection Tacko Fall was seeing wasnt the image everyone else saw in UCFs raw but intriguing 7-foot-6 freshman center.Fast forward to this season, and there is a new coaching staff, a new energy around the Knights program and definitely a different Fall. The shy, towering young man is getting more comfortable on the basketball court.I can definitely be a force in the paint, the engineering major from Senegal told The Associated Press. I feel like there is really nobody who can guard me in the paint.Nobody? A bold statement, though Fall has had an impressive start to the season and turned heads during last weekends Charleston Classic.For the first time this season, the nation got a chance to see how much the goggle-wearing big man has improved. Fall dominated against the likes of Mississippi State and defending national champion and third-ranked Villanova. He averaged a double-double over the three-game tournament, including a 20-point, 13-rebound showing in a 67-57 loss to the Wildcats in the championship game.He caught the eye of ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale, who mentioned Fall on his Twitter page.I see it but I cant let it go to my head, said Fall, who was named the American Athletic Conference player of the week on Monday after averaging 17.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and three blocked shots in the first four games this season. I still have a lot to work on. I can get a lot better.The attention and accolades Fall is receiving are a far cry from what life was like five years ago when he and a friend, Ange Badji, were spotted by a man named Ben Simmons in their native home of Dakar, Senegal.Simmons, who did not return phone calls from the AP, helped Fall and Badji get visas to the United States.Fall was coming from a poor background, living with his mother and little brother in a one-bedroom apartment where the basic necessities were hard to come by -- including going to school.Fall, who was 7-foot-3 and 16 years old at the time, said his mother -- who only speaks French and has never seen him play -- was promised that he would be taught the game of basketball, have a chance to earn a quality education and possibly a college degree. But it didnt happen that way when Fall and Badji initially landed in the U.S. in October 2012.For the better part of a year, Fall and Badji bounced around Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Kansas and Illinois in search of charter schools.Finally, in September 2013, they landed in Tavares, Florida, and on the doorsteps of Liberty Christian Preparatory School basically homeless. But that is when life began to change for the better.Amanda Wettstein and her family took Fall and Badji into their home.There were some negative things and there were some positive things because when I came to Florida I met great people, my host family, said Fall, a native French speaker who learned English quickly. They are still there and are basically part of my family now. We talk every day. They live 45 minutes away from here. They treat me like Im their own child.Wettstein and her husband took the boys in not knowing much more than their first names and that they were in need.Neither the school or us had information about them, said Wettstein, whose mother-in-law is a counselor at Liberty Christian. At the time we didnt know anything about their journey, just that they had been in Tennessee and were homeless and needed a place.The 6-foot-5 Badji is currently attending TNG Prep Academy in Tennessee.As for Fall, it wasnt long before it was apparent that he was more than just a tall kid with basketball potential. He was also extremely bright.After scoring in the 90th percentile the first time he took the SAT, Fall spent his junior and senior years playing at Liberty Christian.He played AAU hoops in 2014, and had great success. He was invited to the NBA Top 100 and Nike Skills Academy, after which the college opportunities came pouring in. Georgetown, Harvard, Xavier and Wake Forest were among the 36 offers he received, but UCF and former head coach Donnie Jones won out.The Knights had something others didnt: a location that allowed Fall, who was tired of moving, to stay close to those he was familiar with and who he felt cared about him.After finally getting cleared to play by the NCAA just before last season, Fall was a raw freshman who showed ability as a shot blocker and post defender.This year, with former Stanford coach and Duke All-American Johnny Dawkins at the helm at UCF, Fall has continued to improve. Dawkins and his staff have worked with Fall since arriving, improving his offensive game, his strength and post presence.Dawkins said that because of how well Fall runs the floor, his touch around the basket and shot-blocking ability, the only limit to his upside is his imagination and how hard he works.I tell Tacko all the time: `Tacko you can change the game. You can revolutionize our game at your size, said Dawkins, whose team is off to a 4-1 start. With that (size) and the ability to move up and down like he does on the floor, his mobility, he could revolutionize our game.The NBA is the logical next step for Fall, though its unclear when he might make that jump. However, with Dawkins mentoring him and Falls size and athletic ability, he will get a look by someone.Fall believes he is up for the challenge, and after what he has been through, no one is counting him out.The ultimate goal for me is to play in the NBA, Fall said confidently, because I think its going to open so many doors for me to be able to take care of my family, help people back home and give opportunities to people back home like I was given the opportunity to help others.---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Cheap Air Max 1 Free Shipping . 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Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens motivation for changing to a grass field this year was to protect players from sustaining the kind of injuries that occur on artificial turf.Adhering to a poll of the team, the Ravens pulled up the synthetic surface theyd been using for 13 years at M&T Bank Stadium and laid down the real thing during the summer.Principally, we did it for our players, Ravens president Dick Cass said. Theres data out there that suggests that if you have a natural grass field, youre less likely to have lower body injuries, mainly the knee.Though its too early to determine if the switch has produced the desired result -- Baltimore has played only seven home games -- the field has played to mixed reviews.Several of the Miami Dolphins complained about the grass in the wake of their 38-6 loss in Baltimore last Sunday.It was slick out there. You saw some guys sliding around, Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi said. We just had to make it work as the game went on. At the end of the game, there were definitely some people losing traction out there.Andre Branch, a member of a Miami defense that yielded 496 yards, said, The grass was terrible. We knew that coming into the game.Actually, the field was vastly different than one week earlier, when Baltimore beat Cincinnati 19-14. In that game, the turf was beginning to show the wear and tear of a long season.The grass stopped growing and it became a little bit of sand pit out there, especially between the hash marks, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker said.So the team did something about it.We decided to re-sod the middle of the field, from the numbers to the numbers, 100 yards, Cass said. We brought in heavy-cut sod from North Carolina. I thought it was beautiful.Unlike the Dolphins, many of whom changed cleats after slip-sliding through the firsst quarter.ddddddddddddRavens receiver Steve Smith tore an Achilles tendon on the artificial turf in Baltimore last year. He said playing on grass benefits you, and offered his theory about why the Dolphins were upset with the condition of the field.Since Miami got their (butt) whupped, of course theyre to complain about it, he said. It looked pretty good to us.The victory improved Baltimores record at home to 5-2.To accommodate the change to grass, the Ravens are paying for two additional fields in North Carolina from which to obtain sod. Theyve also installed an artificial lighting system at M&T Stadium and given up staging the state high school football playoffs -- four games in three days -- because of the damage it would cause the field.Then theres the matter of hiring crews to maintain and replace the grass.Its a major investment and a major commitment, Cass said. But its worth it if we can avoid one or two major knee injuries a year. Im not sure thats going to happen, but thats why we did it. And, our players really prefer grass.Especially Tucker, who has nailed four field goals of farther than 50 yards over the past two weeks.Theres this idea that all kickers want to kick on an artificial surface, Tucker said. Not true. Its like youre trying to put your cleats into little rubber granules with synthetic grass blades in between them. It just doesnt feel right.The grass in Baltimore suits him just fine.Our guys are doing a great job with the field, Tucker said. Coming from last week to this week, it was as if the field was plucked from September and dropped into the stadium.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/APNFL . ' ' '