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Viral College Basketball Star Leaves No Doubt on Future Plans

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Mar 14, 2025 5:17 PM ET

Robbie Avila became a viral sensation during his two seasons at Indiana State, earning the nickname "Cream Abdul Jabbar" and becoming a must-watch talent during the previous two seasons.

Unfortunately, Indiana State was one of the biggest snubs for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. After Indiana State lost to Seton Hall in the NIT title game, Avila entered the transfer portal and wound up at Saint Louis, following Indiana State head coach Josh Schertz, who became the new Billikens coach.

In his first season with the Billikens, he played well once again, averaging 17.3 points per game (0.1 short of his career-high) with 6.9 rebounds, which was a career-best.

While fans have been wanting to see Avila in March Madness, they won't be seeing that this season. Saint Louis lost to Loyola Chicago, 72-64, in the Atlantic 10 tournament, seemingly putting an end to any hopes of the Billikens in the Field of 68.

While questions swirled about Avila's future plans, the Saint Louis star left no doubt after the loss, per Stu Durando.

"100% I'll be back," Avila said.

Avila had 12 points with six rebounds and a pair of blocks in the loss to Loyola Chicago in the battle of the 4-5 seeds in the Atlantic 10.

Saint Louis finished the year with a 19-14 overall record and an 11-7 mark in the Atlantic 10. While an NCAA Tournament dream is over, it's still possible to play in other events, such as the NIT.

Nonetheless, all signs point to Schertz and Avila being back with Saint Louis once again in 2025-26, and hopefully this time they can make a run to the NCAA Tournament.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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