Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Villanova
An experienced, athletic forward who played for Kevin Willard last season at Maryland ... Brings 3-point shooting range and defensive versatility to the Wildcats.
 
Maryland
2024-25
Appeared in 32 games for the Terrapins, averaging 10.4 minutes, 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest … Connected on .371 of his 3-Point Field Goal attempts and had 24 blocked shots … Contributed four points, two blocks, and one steal in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament against No. 24 Illinois on March 14 … Finished with three points, three rebounds, and one block on Jan. 29 in a win over No. 17 Wisconsin ... Posted nine points and one rebound in 13 minutes on Jan. 16 against Northwestern …
Added eight points, two rebounds, two blocks, and one steal in a win over No. 22 UCLA on Jan. 10 … Put up three rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and one steal in a game against #9 Oregon (Jan. 5) … Added six points alongside three rebounds, a block, and a steal in a win over Syracuse on Dec. 21 … Scored nine points and pulled down eight rebounds along with one block on Dec. 17 against Saint Francis … Contributed 12 points and three rebounds in Dec. 4 a home win against Ohio State … Finished with nine points, eight rebounds, and a career-high six blocks against Alcorn (Dec. 1) … Scored a season-high 19 points with six rebounds on Nov. 27 against Bucknell … Recorded five points and a game-high four steals against Mount St. Mary’s (Nov. 8).
Made his Maryland debut against Manhattan scoring five points with a block and one steal (Nov. 4).

Georgia Tech
2023-24
Played in 29 games, starting 15, and averaged 18.2 minutes … Started Tech’s final nine games and played 20 or more minutes in nine of the last 12, filling the void created by the absence of Ebenezer Doquona (who was injured the final nine games) … Last seven games, averaged 7.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 20-of-48 FG, 11-of-13 FT, 8 blocks … Scored in double digits against Syracuse, Clemson and Wake Forest during that stretch, pulled 10 rebounds and blocked three shots against Florida State … Started nine ACC games total, including Duke on Dec. 2 … Averaged 5.1 points, 3.7 rebounds with a team-high 20 blocked shots in conference games … Key off the bench in Tech’s win over No. 3 North Carolina (6 points, career-high 8 rebounds, 3 blocks) … Had a team-high 33 blocked shots for the season and ranked 10th in the ACC in blocks per game (1.14) despite his limited minutes … Returned from a three-game absence early in the season to score 35 points with 11 rebounds in Tech’s three games against Georgia, Alabama A&M and Penn State … Went 13-26 from the floor with three blocks and two steals in 61 total minutes … Scored career-high 20 points with six boards in 28 minutes in Tech’s win over Penn State … Scored nine points with seven rebounds and four blocks to help Tech defeat Hawaii in the Diamond Head Classic.

UMass
2022-23
Averaged 12.4 minutes per game over 30 games … Averaged 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 31.2 percent from the field for the Minuteman, who finished the season 15-16 overall … Despite limited playing time, he led the team in blocked shots (20) and went to the free throw line 40 times … Scored a season-high 15 points against Albany … Played a season-high 24 minutes against Rhode Island in which he scored 11 points, made a pair of three-point field goals and grabbed a season-best seven rebounds … Had one other double-figure game – 13 points vs. Hofstra

South Kent School
Reclassified from the Class of 2023 to the Class of 2022 … Spent the 2021-22 year at the South Kent School in Connecticut … Ranked as the No. 1 player in Connecticut and No. 10 power forward by 247Sports for the Class of 2023 … Top 50 recruit nationally by 247Sports … Tabbed 81st-nationally and as the No. 18-ranked power forward by Rivals.
 
Kevin Willard: “Tafara adds a different element to our team. His size and athleticism allow us to do a multitude of things defensively. Offensively, he can create and get his teammates easy looks as well. We are really excited to have Tafara join us here at Villanova.”