The name Robbie Avila — the breakout, viral college basketball star for Indiana State from the 2023-24 NCAA season — might not ring a bell. He's better known by his slew of inspired nicknames based on his gawky, bespectacled appearance: Cream Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Nerd, Larry Blurred and Steph Blurry (to name the most popular ones).
Speaking of popularity, Avila's was at an all-time high at the end of last college basketball season after leading the Indiana State Sycamores to a shocking 32-win season, a near-miss at the NCAA tournament, and a run in the NIT tournament all the way to the championship game.
But the most stunning development in Avila's exciting story thus far has been his recent decision to turn down millions of dollars in potential NIL deals and to transfer away from Larry Bird‘s alma mater of Indiana State. Avila decided to enter the transfer portal — but not to play for a big-name Power 5 school like you might expect (despite there being plenty of interest).
Rather, Avila transferred to Saint Louis University — an even smaller basketball program than Indiana State's — because he wanted to stay with his beloved coach, Josh Schertz. The SLU Billikens hired Schertz after he led Indiana State to an improbably 32-7 season last year.
Avila explained his decision to follow Schertz on the Field of 68 podcast, saying “He showed the interest right away that the bigger schools didn't show out to me.”
“A lot of schools thought I wasn't good enough to play at this level. He didn't,” Avila added.
“He really trusted me, he really saw the vision … I think we've built such a great relationship, I couldn't see myself playing under anybody else right now,” Avila continued.
That kind of loyalty in the age of the transfer portal is almost shockingly rare. Avila undoubtedly turned down the chance at greater riches in NIL money by not going to a Power 5 school.
But he made his thoughts about NIL deals clear in another recent interview, and his transfer decision seems to go hand in hand with his philosophy. “I would definitely just say, stay true to you,” Avila told the website On3, speaking about the process of choosing NIL sponsors.
“I think that takes you a long way,” he continued. “To be able to take your values and keep that to yourself, don’t do anything that you don’t feel like is right.”
Avila added, “I think just that right there is going to elevate you as a person and your brand – get it out there. I think once you get that down, you’re gonna be able to do a lot of different things.”
If Robbie Avila isn't willing to chase every NIL deal thrown at him, but rather opts to pick brands that align with his values, it makes full sense that he'd pick his next school the same way. Lucky for Saint Louis University fans, that meant following new coach Josh Schertz and becoming a Billiken.
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