Devin Royal was about to dunk on Xavier Booker.
The 2023 four-star small forward out of Pickerington, Ohio wanted to put on a show in front of the Ohio State coaching staff. And he wanted it to be against a the 6-foot-11, four-star power forward that also holds an offer from the Buckeyes.
Instead, he landed awkwardly, rolling his ankle and collapsed onto the floor of Value City Arena.
Royal said he was fine postgame, sitting down with ice around his right ankle.
“Just a little sprain,” he said.
But for Ohio State, Royal didn’t have to prove anything.
Head coach Chris Holtmann, assistant coach Jake Diebler and the rest of the staff has been in on Royal since the beginning, earning an offer from the Buckeyes after an unofficial visit in October holding offers from Marquette, Xavier and Penn State.
Since then, the 6-foot-6, 205-pound small forward’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing, getting the attention of Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin.
He’s been showing off his skills on the national stage as of late too, arriving to the Buckeyes’ recruiting camp Thursday fresh off being named as the MVP of the Pangos All-American Camp held in Las Vegas last weekend.
“It feels good,” Royal said. “It just shows me I have to work harder and get better every day to get higher and higher to where I need to be at.”
Much of that attention came after Royal made the realization that he has to be more than just a post player.
Coming into high school at Pickerington Central, he said that’s all he was, something that he was encouraged to branch out from. At the high school level, Royal was expected to be versatile, to guard everyone from the point guard to the power forward, doing anything expected of him.
“If I can’t shoot, I go inside. If I can’t go inside, I shoot,” Royal said. “Just do everything they need me to do.”
It’s what worked against Booker Thursday afternoon, using his speed to keep up with the 6-foot-11 forward out of Indianapolis, while using his 205-pound frame to make him a difficult matchup in the paint and at the top of the key.
Royal, heading into his senior year, has developed into a force to be reckoned with.
He’s someone that continued to hold Ohio State’s attention.
“It’s been great,” Royal said, mentioning he will be going on an official visit with the Buckeyes the weekend of July 4. “I have a great relationship with them. They have always been great to me.”
Even with former Pickerington Central basketball teammate Sonny Styles enrolled with the football program and 2023 commit George Washington III pushing him toward joining him in Columbus, Royal is keeping his options open.
After working at team camps at Xavier and Dayton this weekend, the 2023 small forward will go on an official visit at Michigan State starting June 17. His mentality going into each visit remains the same, he said: getting the vibe from the coaching staff, seeing how they see him fit into their overall style and culture of the program.
And to Royal, location doesn’t really matter.
“To be honest, for me, it doesn’t really matter, distance or anything like that,” he said. “I’m just trying to wait for the fit for me, the best opportunity for me to do what I want to do.”
Even as Royal tries to narrow his list down and teams keep calling, he says his recruitment isn’t stressful. It’s a blessing, he said, something he’s become used to.
It’s something Royal feels like he deserves.
“I’ve been working a lot this summer and throughout last year,” Royal said. “I thought it was going to come sooner or later, so my day came sooner than I thought.”
