Georgia Tech forward Julian Royal will transfer at the end of the semester. Royal, a sophomore, will have two year of eligibility remaining.
The move does not come as a great surprise. Royal, from Milton High, saw his minutes and role diminish considerably this season. He played in 30 games as a freshman, averaging 16.0 minutes, and his playing time increased from the nonconference season to the ACC schedule as he adjusted to the college game.
This season, with forward Robert Carter’s arrival, coach Brian Gregory largely used a three-man rotation for the frontcourt with Daniel Miller, Kammeon Holsey and Carter. He played in 11 of the 18 conference games, playing double-digit minutes in only one of them.
Royal represented Gregory’s first victory at Tech. After having committed to Tech when Paul Hewitt was coaching, Royal met with Gregory soon after he was hired at Tech, and Gregory convinced him to keep his commitment. He was the only member of his recruiting class.
In 54 games, he averaged 3.2 points with 1.9 rebounds per game.
“I appreciate everything that Julian has done for our program the last two years and the work he has put in,” Gregory said in a statement. “He’s a fine young man, and he has done well in school. He’s done a great job representing our program on and off the court, and we wish him all the best.”
Including signee Quinton Stephens (small forward from Marist) and commit Travis Jorgenson (point guard from Missouri), Tech has 12 scholarship players on the roster for 2013-14 with one scholarship available. Tech will lose four seniors after that season, center Daniel Miller, forward Kammeon Holsey and guards Brandon Reed and Jason Morris.
