Recruiting Report: Romeo Langford (2018)
Within the state lines of Indiana, most who follow high school basketball have been able to get a glimpse of New Albany’s standout junior Romeo Langford. They won a state title a year ago, he’s on pace to try and…
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Continue ReadingWithin the state lines of Indiana, most who follow high school basketball have been able to get a glimpse of New Albany’s standout junior Romeo Langford. They won a state title a year ago, he’s on pace to try and break the all-time scoring record in the state, and his brand is growing outside of the home state.
The last two games for New Albany have, in a roundabout way, have been an attempt to grow his name. A marquee matchup in the Indianapolis area against the #2 team North Central didn’t go as planned and then to turn around and play on ESPN against #1 team in the country La Lumiere didn’t go great in terms of team play, but regardless, it showcased just how good Romeo can be. He scored 30 points against North Central and 40 against New Albany.
Against North Central, you saw a great game in the first half, a back and forth against Kris Wilkes but North Central was able to lock down later in the game and push to a double-digit lead.
“I thought they did a good job on him defensively,” New Albany head coach Jim Shannon. “(Romeo) might have forced a couple shots. It could be a thing where they just wore us down. They were able to break us down, offensively at a lot of spots so that Wilkes could be on a receiving end of a pass. Romeo is never on the receiving end of a pass, because they don’t come off of him. When he gets it, he has to take two or three guys down. That is why he is so good and fascinating player because he is able to do that. When he gets to the college level, when he is surrounded by athletes and other DI type players, he will be even better. He’ll be unbelievable because he’s great now.”
The pressure, though, doesn’t ever seem to really bother Romeo. He’s a Top 3 player in all national recruiting rankings and the scouts and coaches know who he is. However, the last year has really made him a bigger name across the country and now, people are showing up at games to just watch him take on the best. Still, it doesn’t phase him.
“I think he is handling it really well, I think our kids are handling it really well,” Shannon said. “I expected this to be a good game.”
“I guess it is nice but I really don’t feel any pressure,” Romeo said of the circus surrounding him and New Albany. “I just go out there and perform.”
That national exposure is new to TV and some not in the industry but he’s been a guy that coaches have been flocking to come see for well over a year now. Schools like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Purdue, Indiana, Louisville, and many others have offered and are making it a priority to get in his sightline.
His last on campus trip was to see the Kansas Jayhawks during his Fall Break.
“I just liked the campus and the atmosphere,” Romeo said of his trip to Lawrence, Kansas. “It just seemed like the campus in one spot. If I went there, I wouldn’t have to go a long distance to workout or get something to eat.”
Part of the intrigue of Langford is how he continues to improve his game. He’s a 6’4, very athletic wing that can score from just about anywhere and in any way he wishes to. You saw that against North Central and La Lumiere. Some of the top talent in the country couldn’t slow him down and he scored 70 points in both games combined.
The one area you have seen some improvement, really the only area he needed to tweak a bit was his perimeter shooting. He shot a lot during these two games, a lot from the three-point line and his numbers are looking better as well as the form and release.
“Way better,” Langford said of the difference in his perimeter jumper. “I didn’t shoot well at all during the summer. I don’t know why. I just felt like I got a little more repetition during school ball because we practice every single day so I feel like this summer I’m going to shoot a lot better than I did last summer. I can’t shoot that bad again.”