Indiana St. star center Avila enters transfer portal

• Pete Thamel, ESPNApr 9, 2024, 03:50 PM ET

Indiana State star Robbie Avila, among the breakout stars of the 2023-24 college basketball season, has actually entered the NCAA transfer portal.Avila, a 6-foot-10 sophomore center, balanced 17.4 points and 4.1 helps for Indiana State this season, earning first-team All-Missouri Valley honors. Along the way, he turned into one of the sport’s most charming characters, as the combination of his hallmark safety glasses and dipping into Larry Bird’s former school earned him nicknames like”Cream Abdul-Jabbar,””Larry Nerd “and”Steph Blurry.” Sources told ESPN that Avila is a strong favorite to follow previous ISU coach Josh Schertz to Saint Louis, where Schertz was employed in the wake of ISU’s regular-season Missouri Valley title and a run to the NIT Finals.Avila’s portal entry is marked by a red exclamation point, which

indicates not to reach out to him, an indication that he’s currently comprised his mind on his destination.Editor’s Picks 2 Related Indiana State went 32-7 last season and was commonly considered among the most significant snubs from the NCAA tournament

. It made a No. 1 seed in the NIT and beat SMU, Minnesota, Cincinnati and Utah in the NIT, before falling to Seton Hall in the final.Avila is one of 8 Indiana State basketball players to get in the portal in the past 2 days, that includes the team’s five leading scorers. There’s a possibility much of the 5 end up following Schertz to Saint Louis, although none have marked their portal entry with demands not to contact.Avila is taken part the portal by guard Ryan Conwell(16.6 PPG ), guard Isaiah Swope(15.9 PPG), guard Jayson Kent( 13.5 PPG)and guard Julian Larry

(11.0 PPG ). There’s a strong possibility that Saint Louis’lineup has a comparable feel to ISU’s last season.Avila is from Oak Forest, Illinois, and reveals an exceptional feel and touch for the game. He’s a deft passer and helps makes Schertz’s offense circulation as one of the most aesthetically pleasing and efficient in the nation. Indiana State ended up No. 1 in college basketball in effective basket portion (59.8%)and two-point portion (62.4% ).