Royal picking up offers during big junior year for Pickerington Central

We had a chance to check in with one of central Ohio’s top basketball prospects in Pickerington Central 2023 wing Devin Royal.

The 6-6, 215-pound Royal received an offer from his hometown school, Ohio State, in mid-October. A number of other top schools have offered, including Butler, Dayton, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas State, Marquette, Penn State and Xavier.

Royal is ranked as the nation’s No. 121 prospect overall, No. 26 small forward and No. 6 overall in Ohio, according to the 247Sports rankings.

He is enjoying an outstanding junior year for Pickerington Central, which has won 15 games in a row and stands at 16-1 overall. The Tigers are ranked No. 2 in the Division I state poll this weel.

Royal is averaging just shy of 19 points per game. His high game this season was 27 points in wins over Mentor and Garfield Heights. With Pick Central, Royal plays alongside OSU football signee Sonny Styles.

Royal tallied 19 points in a win over Central Crossing last Friday, then turned around and had 15 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in a win over Columbus Africentric, which features another star junior in wing Dailyn Swain (also offered by Ohio State). He has been in double figures in all 17 games this season, including a 19-point game in a win over rival Gahanna on Jan. 8.

Royal and Swain are among six Ohio’s prospects OSU coach Chris Holtmann and his staff have already offered in the 2023 class. The others are Huber Heights Wayne guard Lawrent Rice, Cincinnati Taft guard Rayvon Griffith, Centerville guard Gabe Cupps and St. Marys Memorial center Austin Parks. Cupps has verbaled to Indiana.

He plays alongside Swain and Rice on the All-Ohio Red travel team, which is based in Columbus.

As a sophomore last year, Royal averaged 15 points and six rebounds per game. His team went 16-5 and won the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division with a 10-0 record.

He emerged as a leader on the All-Ohio Red team at the Nike Peach Jam in July. In five games there during the 16-U playoffs, Royal averaged 16 points and six rebounds. He had games of 23 and 20 points during those playoffs.

Here were excerpts from our interview with Royal after last Friday’s game against Central Crossing.

Q: How do you feel this season is going? Your team has put up a good record and you have been a big contributor to that.

Royal: “We’re doing pretty good. We are getting better and better each game. We are putting the work in. We still have more work to do before we get into the tournament. We’re doing pretty good right now.”

Q: What’s been the high point of your season or the game you have enjoyed the most?

Royal: “I loved the Gahanna game. It was just the energy there. I loved that. I thought everybody played pretty well for us and for a couple of guys it was a big game because we had not beaten them in a while. It was a good time.”

Q: For you individually, what are you improving on and showing people you are capable of doing?

Royal: “I feel like I am showing I am a versatile guy. I can do multiple things. I still need to get better in some areas, but it’s going pretty good right now. I know I still have a lot of work to do.”

Q: You were in attendance at the Ohio State-Duke game. What were your thoughts on that?

Royal: “It was a great game with great coaching and great players. They moved the ball well and they played good together. I liked it. I stormed (the court), too. It was fun. It was a good experience to have.”

Q: You were at that game with your All-Ohio teammate Dailyn Swain. Do you guys talk about colleges much?

Royal: “No, but we have a good relationship. We are pretty close. We haven’t talked about (playing together in college).”

Q: Who do you talk to the most at Ohio State and what are they saying about the opportunity there?

Royal: “I talk to (assistant Jake) Diebler and Coach Holtmann the most. They’re happy with how I’m playing. They love me and they want me to come down there a lot. I think I’m going to try and get back there for a game here soon.”

Q: Who are some of the other top schools that have been keeping in touch lately?

Royal: “I’m hearing from Florida State, Wisconsin, Illinois, UConn, Virginia Tech and maybe a couple more. If we have an off weekend, I may schedule (school visits). But it’s hard with all the games we have.”

Q: You can’t sign until November. Are you in a hurry to make a decision?

Royal: “I will probably get it wrapped up before my senior year.”

Q: What is your goal and hope to finish this season off?

Royal: “To be honest with you, I think we can go to the final four and the states. We’re more than capable of doing that. We just have to keep putting the work in and play together and we can do that.”