WILMINGTON, Del. — While preseason focused on Tacko Fall, the Red Claws are making the case on the court that there are lots of names on the team worth knowing.
Their offense is so potent, they set a new team record for most points in a game by winning their season opener, 148-125, over the Delaware Blue Coats.
As visitors to Wilmington, Del. on Saturday, November 9, the Red Claws looked more comfortable than the home team. They posted shooting percentages of 50.5% from the field and 43.1% from three-point range. By that same measure, the Blue Coats fell far short with percentages of 44.8% and 37.5% respectively.
The Red Claws also benefited from a balanced attack. The 28 points scored by Tremont Waters edged out Romeo Langford's 27 points for high-scoring honors. Yante Maten followed close behind the leaders with another 24 points.
Tacko Fall brushed off the pressure of being the biggest name on the team to turn in a solid performance. He contributed 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Fall and Waters are two-way players with the Red Claws and their NBA parent club, the Boston Celtics.
Expectations for Fall are sky high because he's sky high, standing 7 feet, 5 inches tall. Off the court, he is often besieged by fans who all want to snap a selfie with him. Most of them leave just as impressed by his easy-going personality as they are by his height.
Hometown fans will get their first chance to see Tacko and the whole team in action at the Portland Expo on Friday, November 15. Tip-off against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants is at 7 p.m. A Sunday matinee against the Raptors 905 will round out the homestand.
