By SAM LANCE
Josh Schertz has his first commit as the head coach of SLU, and it’s a familiar face in former Indiana State star big man Robbie Avila.
Avila, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound center from Oak Forest (IL), announced his commitment live to the Field of 68. The big man was fresh off a visit to St. Louis this weekend.
“I spent my last two years at Indiana State, and I had a lot of fun there,” Avila said. “We had a lot of success under coach Schertz and I quite frankly don’t think there’s any reason to stay away from him… I trusted his path for me these past two years, and I trust what he has planned for me these next few years. I’m excited to get over there and do the same thing that we did at Indiana State: win some games.”
Avila averaged 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game last season under Schertz at Indiana State. He captivated the nation with his sports-goggles and by splashing 3-pointers at a clip of 39.4% to nearly lead the Sycamores to the NCAA Tournament.
Ultimately, bubble-mania ensued, and Indiana State had to settle for being the runner-up at the NIT. During the NIT run, Avila averaged 17 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 45.8% from the field.
Indiana State better get an at-large. This guy simply cannot be left out of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/cFX1Xb1Iqt
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) March 10, 2024
Avila is ranked the No. 14 over player in the portal per Evan Miya and the No. 43 transfer by 247Sports. He spent two seasons at Indiana State and will be a junior at SLU. Out of high school, Avila was ranked a two-star prospect by 247Sports. He attended Oak Park High School (IL) and is the Bengals all-time leading scorer.
Avila recongnized the trust Schertz has shown him from day one as the reason to follow him to SLU.
“He showed the interest right away (out of high school) that the bigger schools didn’t show out to me,” Avila said. “A lot of schools thought I wasn’t good enough to play at this level. But he didn’t. He really trusted me. He really saw the vision… We’ve built such a great relationship and I couldn’t see myself playing under anyone else right now. I’m excited to continue on with him in a new place.”
This is the first portal addition for Schertz. Two SLU players from last season are in the portal in guards Sincere Parker and Cian Medley, and Schertz has been able to retain small forward Gibson Jimerson who withdrew his name from the portal on April 12.
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