After taking home the state championship crown during his junior year at Prestonwood Academy, Julius Randle has kept the same composed demeanor that he’s always brought about. The 6’9, 230 pound power forward won MVP of the state tournament, yet he shrugged off the honor and moved the credit to his teammates. “Coming into the high school season, our team knew we had a ton of good players individually,” said Randle. “Everyone needed to buy in as a team, and my teammates did that perfectly. Our close connection off the court showed up on the court.”
Prestonwood’s close relationship off the court paid off. A 27-4 season, a state championship, and an MVP trophy sit in Randle’s past, but he refuses to be satisfied. He turned his attention fully to aau ball with the Texas Titans, a top 5 team nationally on the aau circuit this year. Randle has become used to winning at all levels and will not deter from his mindset. “Knowing that I’ve been playing with some of the Titans guys since 5th grade, we definitely want to go out with a bang and make this our best summer by being the best team in the country, “ stated Randle. “I want to dominate night in and night out; I want to be the best player in the country and not leave any questions about it.” Specifically, Randle noted a few things he needed to improve on his game. “I’ve definitely improved on my mid range game, but it still needs a lot of work. I want to get a better understanding of when to pull up for a jumper and when to attack the basket, which means I also need to constantly work on my ball handling.”
College coaches will line up and down the block to watch Randle this spring/summer while playing for the loaded Texas Titans. Randle claims no favorites in his recruitment, saying he has “no clue” about where he will spend his college days playing ball. “I took notice of college basketball a lot more carefully this year. I watched what systems I would fit in, how teams ran their offensive sets, the tempo that certain teams played. I will probably take some visits at the end of the summer or senior year, and who knows when I’ll decide after that.”
For now, though, Randle will continue his on-court dominance and focus on taking ownership of the top spot in the country for the class of 2013 nationally. He also continues to study the game and respect the current greats, and he had some great things to say about current Miami Heat star LeBron James. “He’s a freak man,” Randle said with a laugh. “I’ve never seen anybody like him as far as his size, skill level, and athletic ability. He’s the guy I visualize modeling my game after.”
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