There was an adjustment period for Georgia Tech freshman Julian Royal once he hit campus but by all accounts he has taken it all in stride. A former Milton High standout, Royal is Tech's lone freshman this season and was an important holdover recruit from the Paul Hewitt era for new coach Brian Gregory. He will be leaned on hard as Tech tries to overcome the losses of Iman Shumpert and Brian Oliver from last year's squad.
Royal arrived on campus weighing 238 pounds and has since slimmed all the way down to 215. Lately he has concentrated on building muscle and weighs in now at a solid 225. Royal has worked hard with Tech strength coach Mike Bewley and hopes that his solid work effort will translate to on the court success.
The added strength could be a big plus for Royal who is likely to have to do his share of defending the interior this season with the Jackets. The flip side is that the bigger players that Royal is likely to draw defensively are going to have a hard time staying in front of the talented freshman on the offensive end of the floor.
"I think like everybody is ready to play. We're ready to go," he said. "We have a big scrimmage Saturday. Really, you know you've got a few things at which you've got to get better, but I think we're all excited."
For more on Julian Royal and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets basketball, be sure to check out From The Rumble Seat.