Villanova Transfer Devin Royal Continues Switch to the Wing

Villanova transfer Devin Royal began his college career at power forward, but switched to the wing ahead of his junior season at Ohio State. An athletic 6-foot-6, Royal said he’s a built-in mismatch at both positions as he described his switch to the wing.

“I attacked it like everything else, like a dog. I feel like I’m a mismatch problem everywhere I go. Bigger guy on me, too slow; smaller guy on me, too small for me,” Royal said. “I attack everybody off what I see. If they’ve got a big on me, I’ll attack them off the dribble, he’ll be too slow. If they put a wing on me, I’ll be able to post him up, drive to the rim, get an easy layup.”

Even so, Royal acknowledged that his position change didn’t take a linear progression. While his three point shooting and assist-to-turnover rate both improved, his efficiency dipped as he started to take more shots away from the basket. Royal made 16 of 58 threes (27.6 percent) as a sophomore and 31 of 98 (31.6 percent) as a junior, saying that shooting is one of his biggest points of emphasis as he prepares for his final season in college.

“I think I did decent on the wing last year… Working on handles, [making] my jump shot more consistent, that’s what I’ve been working on all summer. Making IQ plays, stuff like that,” Royal said. “I think the new transition is going great: I think the coaches are working me good, getting me to that level I need to be at to be at the three. Definitely working every day for that, but it’s definitely a great fit.”

Outside Perspective

Playing at Ohio State, Royal had the opportunity to face Villanova head coach Kevin Willard, then at Maryland, during Big Ten play. He said he liked the flow of Willard’s offenses, a less rigid style than he grew used to with the Buckeyes. 

“I liked how he coached because everytime we played them they just always played basketball, went out there and played,” Royal said. “It wasn’t sit there and run plays the whole game, they really just went out there and played together, they had fun. It was just a different vibe over there than what I was seeing.”

Royal added that in practicing with this year’s Villanova team, he expects a fast-paced style. 

“I feel like with this team we’re gonna get up and down, so that’s what I’m excited about,” Royal said.