Bill Barrett / Saint Louis Athletics
Saint Louis star big man Robbie Avila suffered a right ankle sprain in his team’s season-opening 85-78 loss to Santa Clara on Monday and will miss the “next couple of weeks” with the injury, the school announced on Tuesday. Avila left the game in the second half in obvious pain and needed assistance getting to the locker room.
Avila recorded 16 points, five rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes in his Saint Louis debut against Santa Clara. The star big man transferred into the program this offseason from Indiana State after his coach, Josh Schertz, took the vacant job at the school. Avila was one of the most coveted players available in the transfer portal but quickly made the decision to follow his coach to the Atlantic 10.
Avila was one of the best mid-major players in the sport during the 2023-24 season. He averaged 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists and became an internet sensation after helping Indiana State reach the NIT title game. Avila ranked as the 20th-best player in CBS Sports Top 100 And 1 Player Rankings.
While there is no exact timetable for Avila’s return, it appears he could miss games against LMU on Nov. 16 and Wichita State on Nov. 22. Saint Louis has a marquee nonconference matchup against Grand Canyon on Dec. 22.
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