WINTER PARK, Fla. — Tackomania may be all the rage in Boston these days, but people in these parts were ahead of the curve on their appreciation for the 7-foot-6 wonder.

Tacko Fall played four years at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, and he’s here with the Celtics to take on the Magic in a preseason game Friday night.

“It’s going to feel like a dream, just considering everything that I’ve worked on for the game here and everything that I’ve been through,” Fall said after a Thursday practice that drew a little more local media attention than usual. “I’m really close with Mo (Bamba), so I used to be at the games to see him play. But now I’m actually on the court just playing against those guys, and it’s going to feel like a dream.”

Brad Stevens continued to push the fact that Tacko is more than just a visual colossus.

“First of all, Tacko’s a really likable guy,” said the Celts’ coach, “and obviously when he walks into a room everyone is in awe of his size. But what I hope people know, first and foremost, is he’s a great guy. He’s an extremely hard worker. He’s very humble. He’s very gracious. He’ll take a picture with everybody that wants to take a picture with him, and a lot of people want to take pictures with him. I hope people appreciate him for who he is and how hard he’s working to try to make the NBA.”

As for those pictures, well.

“It’s been crazy,” Fall said of his fame. “Personally, I have a hard time saying no. That’s one of my biggest things. So for me to go out, I wouldn’t call it a nightmare, but it gets crazy. If I get into a crowd, I probably won’t be able to get out of there for a while.”

Right now, it’s all about staying with the NBA crowd for Fall.

“Just learn and become a better player overall,” he said of his training camp goal. “I’m very fortunate to have a coach like Brad and all these assistants. Each one of them has taught me something, especially in the summer, I was with Jerome (Allen) pretty much all summer, and lately I’ve been with Jay (Larranaga), and both of them have been tremendous with me. And Brad has been really patient and tried to teach me things in practice. And all these players, I’ve just been trying to learn as much as possible from them. After training camp, regardless of what happens, I’m looking forward. I just want to become a better player.”

Romeo, Romeo

As much as Celtic fans can’t get enough of Tacko, there may be even more attention on the club’s top draft pick in Friday’s game. After missing summer league with a thumb problem and much of early training camp with a groin issue, Romeo Langford could well make his debut in a Boston uniform in the Magic game.

Also, Robert Williams was back on the court after missing Tuesday’s workout with a groin tweak.

“Everybody practiced and went hard and live, so I would guess, unless something happened today that I don’t know about yet, everybody will be available (against the Magic),” said Stevens.

Regarding Langford’s progress, the coach said, “The game comes easy. He’s got to learn a lot about the NBA and all the different places he needs to be at the right times. But as far as making instinctual plays, playing against close-outs, playing in different settings offensively and defensively, he’s got good instincts. He’s been well-coached all the way throughout. Archie Miller’s a good coach at Indiana, and I’ve known Jim Shannon, his high school coach, for a long time. He’s got a good feel for the game.”

A real off day

The Celtics had a lengthy practice Thursday, but according to Stevens, it wasn’t one of their best as they come off a Wednesday break. The C’s extended their stay here, flying in Tuesday and taking the next day off.

“We’ve done a place like Newport in the past, but with our new facility, it made sense to do all of our training camp stuff in Boston,” Stevens said. “So we went eight straight days at some level, and then that first off day, we thought since we were playing Orlando anyways, we might as well bring them down two days early and take that first off day (Wednesday). A lot of guys went to the (theme) park, a lot of guys did different things. Some guys took the day off and just relaxed. We were able to eat dinner as a team together Tuesday and have a team activity, so it was all part of this big plan of it’s a long season, and hopefully we get a chance to take a deep breath.” …

Stevens was asked about the NBA’s touchy issue in China, where a tweet by Houston GM Daryl Morey supporting freedom in Hong Kong disturbed the Chinese government and created business problems for the league.

“I appreciate the league and the league’s support of people’s right to express themselves,” Stevens said. “And I appreciate the leadership that (commissioner) Adam Silver provides all the time.”