USATSI
One of college basketball’s must-see players is following his coach to a new destination. Former Indiana State star Robbie Avila committed to Saint Louis on Saturday. The move was expected ever since Josh Schertz left ISU to coach SLU earlier this month.
Avila became a cult hero-type figure in college basketball this past season for his outstanding skillset combined with his everyman physique. Nobody else in college basketball quite looked or played like Avila, who by early March had become one of the most recognizable faces in the sport — all while doing so for a seldom-good program out of the Missouri Valley.
Avila — whose nicknames have ranged from Larry Nerd to Steph Blurry to Cream Abdul-Jabbar — is ranked 12th among all guys in the portal, per our David Cobb. He averaged 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and shot 39.4% from 3-point range. Saint Louis is getting an outstanding player and, if his ascent continues, a potential All-American next season. If Avila’s game continues to improve and the Billikens can be a team competing to make the NCAAs, he’s got a shot at being one of college hoops’ biggest stars.
Avila isn’t the only big Billiken get here. He’s not even the only former Indiana State player committing to Schertz. Guard Isaiah Swope, who was Indiana State’s second leading scorer behind Avila, is also heading to SLU, per a source. Swope averaged 15.9 points and will be a vital scoring presence under Schertz at Saint Louis.
With Avila and Swope set to follow Schertz, the Billikens can claim to be one of the biggest mid-major winners of the portal this cycle. Avila’s game highlights led him to stardom on social media over the prior three months. Few men’s players generated attention on TikTok,…
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