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Ohio State basketball: Buckeyes in the mix for a local recruit

By Jacob Rhymer

Pickerington Central's Devin Royal, one of the top juniors in Ohio, could have been in line for NIL deals if rules had been approved by OHSAA member schools. His coach, Eric Krueger, said NIL could compromise the "purity" of high school sports.
Pickerington Central's Devin Royal, one of the top juniors in Ohio, could have been in line for NIL deals if rules had been approved by OHSAA member schools. His coach, Eric Krueger, said NIL could compromise the "purity" of high school sports. /
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The Ohio State basketball team is continuing to have a very busy offseason on the recruiting trail. A local recruit the Buckeye basketball program has been targeting cut his list to three schools, and Ohio State is one of the three remaining schools on his list.

Devin Royal is a highly talented, four-star wing that has narrowed his list to Ohio State, Michigan State, and Alabama. All three are great programs to take your talents to, but this recruit means more to the Buckeye basketball program with Royal being right in their backyard.

The 6’6″ small forward is preparing for his senior season at Pickerington Central, coming off an Ohio high school basketball State Championship in his junior season. According to 247Sports, Royal is ranked 73rd nationally and 14th at his position. He ranks second in Ohio just behind George Washington III, who is already committed to the Buckeyes for 2023.

Royal has a very high ceiling with the skillset and work ethic he brings to the table. He is another great two-way player that can score effectively on all three levels and defend at a high caliber. Royal is ranked 73rd now, but don’t be surprised if you see his name rise up the player rankings by the time the 2022-23 season is over.

Coach Holtmann has done a solid job recruiting during his tenure as the head coach at Ohio State. However, assistant coach Jake Diebler is a name that doesn’t get mentioned enough when it comes to recruiting. Royal mentioned that Diebler has been recruiting him the most out of anyone.

With Royal being from the Columbus area, that makes Ohio State the favorite to land him. Royal has been a high priority for the Buckeye basketball team for a while now. He’s looking to make a final decision within the coming days while considering all factors. Let’s hope that Holtmann and the rest of the coaching staff can put together a strong enough final pitch to keep this talented wing in the state of Ohio.

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In the last Ohio State basketball recruiting update, we wrote about five-star wing Scotty Middleton. A crystal ball prediction came out with Middleton landing with the Buckeyes. He announces where he will be attending school in 2023 on August 6th. It would be ginormous for the future of the Buckeye basketball program to land both Middleton and Royal.

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