What's next for Pickerington Central's Devin Royal after Ohio State, Michigan State visits?
The visits might be complete. Peach Jam awaits. Then, after that, decision time appears to be looming for Pickerington Central senior forward Devin Royal.
A consensus four-star prospect who is rated as high as No. 26 nationally by On3.com, Royal wrapped up important official visits to Michigan State and Ohio State during the past two weeks. After visiting the Spartans on June 17, Royal visited the Buckeyes last weekend, trips that came after visits to Penn State, Xavier and Iowa State.
Royal could still take more visits, and he continues to land more scholarship offers. Michigan, Ole Miss, Miami (Florida) and Alabama offered in June. Whether he visits any of them will be determined in the coming weeks.
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“Now I’m focused on Peach Jam,” Royal said Sunday after playing in the Kingdom Summer League. “We’ve got Kansas City this weekend and then Peach Jam (from July 17-24). After that, if I feel like I need to take more, I’ll take a couple more but I still want to commit probably before my senior season in a couple months.”
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While at Ohio State, Royal spent time with his longtime friend Sonny Styles, a fellow Central product who is playing football for the Buckeyes.
Look who @DevinRoyal7 ran into on his OSU Official visit his longtime friend and teammate @sonnystyles_ . Little league, @all_ohio , @PCTigersHoops (State Champs) friendship for life💯💯 pic.twitter.com/euhmvNPFJC
— Coach George Howard (@glhoward109) July 3, 2022
“It was a good visit,” Royal said. “I got to hang out with the team, checked everything out. It was detailed about how I would play and what I’d do when I get there.”
Royal has taken multiple unofficial visits to Ohio State but said that while on the official visit, “I think we just got more specific of what I’m going to do there, what my role is going to be if, when I come there.”
Playing in the Kingdom Summer League alongside Ohio State freshman Bruce Thornton and against former Buckeye guard Ron Lewis, Royal got a chance to suit up with someone he had just spent time with while on his official visit. Royal scored 19 points while going 8 for 13 from the floor and 3 for 6 from 3-point range while showing a mid-range game and a powerful, one-handed slam that was followed by a Thornton transition 3 one possession later.
“I love playing with Devin,” Thornton said. “Great wing. High motor. I love playing with him. I feel like if he commits to Ohio State, he’s going to be a great asset to us and he’ll be a pro one day.”
Asked what it was like being on the court with Thornton, Royal said, “I was on my visit this weekend so I was with them all weekend. We’ve got a great chemistry. We’re cool and everything.”
@DevinRoyal7 Had a great Official Visit with @OhioStateHoops Thanks @ChrisHoltmann @JakeDiebler @CoachJackOwens @MNetti and coaching staff #GoBucks #O-H🌰🌰 pic.twitter.com/sIDys0Jac6
— Shannon Cornell (@shannon7759) July 4, 2022
What comes next won’t be easy, Royal said. Lewis, a Brookhaven graduate who went to Bowling Green before transferring to Ohio State, said he understands the pressures that come with representing your home school.
“It’s a big decision, but you’ve got to do what’s best for you, what’s best for your family and your education as well,” said Lewis, now the head boys basketball coach at Worthington Kilbourne. “But home is home. We would love to see him there (at Ohio State). Have no control over that, but you can always come back in the summertime or whatnot. He’s got to do what’s best for him.”
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Now it’s up to Royal to decide that.
“They both were good visits,” he said when asked how his Ohio State and Michigan State official visits compared. “Great schools. It’s going to be a hard decision to pick between all these schools I’ve got, but I’m very blessed.”
Ohio State has two verbal commitments for the class of 2023, both four-star prospects from Ohio according to the 247Sports.com composite database: St. Marys Memorial center Austin Parks and Dayton Chaminade Julienne guard George Washington III.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Devin Royal: With OSU visit over, when will 4-star prospect decide?
