Randle Strives for Greatness: It won't be long until Julius Randle is a household name. The five-star recruit from Dallas, TX, is often regarded as the top prospect in the class of 2013 and every top program in the nation has expressed interest in his talents.
Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Baylor, Ohio State, Texas, Oklahoma and plenty of other schools have either offered or heavily recruited the 6-foot-9 forward. That's because he has the ability to dominate opponents on the perimeter as well as in the paint.
"I watch a lot of Blake Griffin, Amar'e Stoudemire, LeBron James and Kevin Durant," Randle told HOOPSWORLD in a phone interview. "I think my biggest strength is my versatility. I work hard on my skill set and have a versatile inside-outside game that allows me to take smaller guys in the post and then also beat bigger, slower guys out on the perimeter."
Randle describes himself as "a combo forward," but he sees himself playing small forward at the next level. While he knows his college position, he doesn't have any idea which school he'll attend. Unlike most top prospects, he doesn't have a top five and swears that he has yet to put any serious thought into his decision.
"Honestly, I don't even have a list," Randle said. "To be totally honest with you, I never really think about it. I don't wake up in the morning and think about which college I should go to. I really don't because I have so much time. It's a great though and all of those programs have great traditions. They're proven and they have great coaches. To be wanted by all of those colleges is a great feeling."
While Randle has accomplished quite a bit, he hasn't let the recognition go to head or distract him from his long-term goals.
"All I am right now is a player that's good on the high school level, but I'm trying to be great in college and then, hopefully, in the NBA," Randle said. "If I make it to the league, I want to be great. I have bigger goals than being recognized in high school and stuff like that. It doesn't really affect me. I'm grateful that people think I'm a great player and everything, but I have bigger goals than this."
His name is already being mentioned in NBA circles and Randle has already started to hear that he could eventually make it to the league.
"Yeah, I've heard that a little bit," Randle said with a laugh. "Nobody in my inner circle says that because they don't fill my head up with anything and they're always telling me what I need to work on. But fans that I've talked to and even some of my friends had said that. I just tell them that I still have a long way to go."
"I'm a kid before everything," he added. "I like to hang out with my friends and stuff like that. With that said, it's not tough to balance everything because I love the game. You don't have to inspire me to get in the gym or work out or anything like that. I love it."
Randle doesn't want to be good, he wants to be great. He doesn't want to simply beat his opposition, he wants to destroy them. He's constantly working on every facet of his game because he's striving for greatness.
"I want to be totally dominant on the court in every game," Randle said. "When I walk off the court, I want to be known as the best player."
