He's probably one of the most recognized high school players in history. He goes out in public. It's an absolute zero there is no privacy. There is no sit down and have a meal
There's gawking pointing staring selfies with people violating his personal space without asking him
There's more to taco fall. There's so much more there
When I'm in public like I take a lot of pictures I cannot turn down pictures. I put myself in their place
It does me and I see a guy that was seven foot six
And I was not that tall I would be surprised I would want
Something I can have that would help me remember this guy he's embraced it
You know especially at the next level you're [gonna] get the same thing so get used to doing it if you just get used to
The camera being in your face get used to people walking until you get used to kissing babies
Growing up. It's a girl. I didn't know much about basketball  honestly. I was terrible
 
I was really excited. I was like well going to the United [states], then once I'll end it
That's where I realized [I] might not see my brother my mom my family for a long time
I probably wouldn't be playing basketball right now
If I didn't come in here you guys the first time we saw we were just in awe of his size
[there] [are] not a lot of people walking around at seven six and at the time
He [wasn't] very strong, but you could tell he had a lot of potential. [I] remember when I first got [here]
I couldn't go up and down the court once I was getting tired. I was [wake] I was not strong mentally physically
nothing
90% of being a good player is mental. Tako didn't really think he was a dominant player. We just kept home
You can do this you can do [this] you can do it. You saw his confidence level rise
It was really good for me mentally memory realized that
These guys were not actually better than mean that I can compete [with] them and not only dark and dominate [I]
Remember when he and I [were] driving alone, and he said to me
I'm finally starting to feel like a basketball player his presence
Really makes a difference [you] [see] how it's a great fit for him. He's going to take their program to another level as well
It had some really good big guys I'd coached [the] Florida Joakim Noah out for four
We were looking for a guy we felt that could be the centerpiece of our program, and I thought tacos upside was through the roof
He's got two high-level
NBA qualities already one he can rebound to he can block shots. He's a rim protector
so he has the [ability] to be like I'm a tumbo to
Impact the [game], and he'll have a chance to grow into [that] if he chooses to
People see Taco and assume basketball player because he's tall
but
Basketball doesn't seem to be his number one goal in life. I have a lot of aspirations like sometimes
I think I have too much aspirations first. I wanted to do
Biochemistry, then I was like no, I would get into engineering and I was like. Oh, maybe I can do both
His effort into school is relentless
He works harder at School
And he does I've asked you me it's really astounding because he can do things that I cannot even do being able to
multiply those large numbers in his head as quickly as he does it's a real treat sometimes to watch the other students faces when he
Just spouts the answer out so quickly and they're still punching it into their calculator
There's a difference between just getting accepted to school to go play basketball and actually get accepted into the engineering program
It wasn't handed to him
I mean he had to have the math the science the test scores the gPA to pull that off if I could be Lebron James
And Steve jobs
I would be Steve jobs because your athleticism would fail one day
But your knowledge will last forever
And you will be able to impact people for a longer period of time basketball can be really helpful to me to
Accomplish bigger things it's gonna be really helpful for me to have the kind of
Finances I can go back to my country of people open businesses
open Lab I think Taco understands the mindset of
basketball being just a small portion of really who he is and that's what makes taco beautiful person is his humility his
Spirits and his mindset of understanding you know that there's much more out there than just basketball this really incredible unique creature
Really is going to do something big Beyond
Just basketball my mom has known so much for me
Then I have to be able to be a mentor to my little brother and my dad also has been really working hard
That's I've told myself. I'm just gonna knock sit sit
