The Saint Louis Billikens are in for an exciting and entertaining 2024 season. 6-foot-10 phenom Robbie Avila announced Saturday April 20th on X (formally known as twitter) that he is transferring to Saint Louis. Avila who crowns the nickname “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” (along with many other given to him by fans) will follow his former head coach Josh Schertz to Saint Louis who was hired by the Billikens following the end of the 2023-2024 season.
Robbie Avila’s relationship with coach Schertz is what influenced his decision to transfer to SLU according to what Avila told STLToday. Avila averaged 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game for Indiana State last year, and lead the Sycamores to a 32-7 record and an NIT championship game appearance.
Saint Louis Billikens Have Themselves A Stud Who’s Making A Name For Himself
Robbie Avila wasn’t always getting the attention he’s gotten over the past year, as Avila was a 2-star prospect coming out of high school. His outstanding play and performance during the 2023-2024 season really opened a lot of scouts and fans eyes to what “Larry Nerd” could really do. Coming out of the recent 2023-2024 season Avila is now considered to be a 4-star transfer prospect coming from the Indiana State Sycamores. The 6-foot-10 fan favorite among college basketball fans everywhere will be a big part of this Saint Louis Billikens rebuild.
In fact, Avila was the runner-up for the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year award in 2023-24, and will have a good chance to take home the A10 Player of the Year award in 2024-25. This news also comes after Billikens star guard Gibson Jimerson announced that he would be returning for his final season after entering the portal. While Avila hasn’t officially signed with the university of Saint Louis Gibson Jimerson said that he’s been analyzing Avila’s tendencies and gameplay in anticipation of playing with him come November. With Avila Joining and the return of Jimerson, Saint Louis could potentially make a run at the NCAA tournament.
Why Would Robbie Avila Choose Saint Louis University?
SLU does not have the name, image, and likeness resources like Mizzou or any of the power conference schools. I’m sure that Avila had to surrender a much bigger payout than he could have commanded elsewhere, but it’s more than just playing for money. It’s the ability to grow with coach Schertz and check boxes outside of money that Avila what’s they ability to do. Saint Louis is a big city filled with die hard sports fans who go all out for their teams.
I think Avila will have no problem using his player profile to charm Saint Louis sports fans which could possibly even make him more money than he could at any other school while still playing with his coach at Indiana State and getting plenty of minutes on the court. With Robbie’s signature sports goggles that makes him stand out on the court, Avila is working with his agent on an eyewear sponsorship that will likely be in place before next season. Kind of like Jared McCain from Duke and his finger nail polish deal.
Avila isn’t the only former Indiana State Sycamore player committing to coach Schertz at SLU. Guard Isaiah Swope, who was the second leading scorer behind Avila on the Sycamores, will also be heading to the Billikens. With Avila and Swope set to follow Schertz, the Billikens can claim to be one of the biggest mid-major winners of the portal cycle, and are primed and ready for a fun and exciting 2024-2025 season. For more college and professional sports news follow me on X @Crain_Sports1.