Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Where Julian Royal could land
By Joe Kaiser
Former ESPN 100 power forward Julian Royal made it official on Monday -- he's transferring from Georgia Tech. Where might the 6-foot-8, 243-pound big man end up next? Lets take a look.
Coming out of high school in Alpharetta, Ga., Royal was recruited heavily by Georgia as well as Wake Forest.
Looking ahead, the Bulldogs could certainly use help on the interior, and one has to believe Mark Fox's team could show interest in Royal again. UGA's two 2013 commits are both guards, and though Royal wouldn't be eligible to play until 2014-15 he's the type of talent that could be worth the wait. How bad do the Bulldogs' need help in the frontcourt? Consider this: their top big man this past season was Nemanja Djurisic, who averaged 7.9 PPG and 4.3 RPG.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest now has an abundance of young bigs on its roster after signing three frontcourt players in 2012, and may not be as interested as it was before. Other teams that could throw their name in the hat? Northwestern could be one of them, once they name a new head coach. The school showed interest in Royal before, and their new coach will certainly be looking to add talent to the Wildcats' roster. If Royal is looking for a new start in a different part of the country, NW may not be a bad option.
