Robbie Avila’s fifth year of eligibility, granted through preliminary injunction from a St. Louis City Circuit Judge, came with the clear plan that he’d head right back to the Billikens. That won’t be the case any longer, with TCU closing in on the reigning Atlantic-10 Player of the Year, per reports circulating.
The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward from Oak Forest, Illinois, had been attached at the hip to Saint Louis head coach Josh Schertz since his freshman year in 2022-23 at Indiana State. Avila
and Schertz carried the Sycamores and Billikens to a 98-39 combined record, including an NCAA Tournament Round of 32 run this past season for SLU.
However, after being granted his fifth year, Avila’s path back to the Billikens was blocked by the College Sports Commission, which cited the 15-man roster limit as its reasoning.
“Mr. Avila may be eligible to play college basketball this season, but there is no roster slot available to him at Saint Louis University,” the commission said.
Avila spent time practicing with Saint Louis for weeks prior to his decision to go to TCU. Interestingly, the Horned Frogs were not on Avila’s list of programs he stated he was in contact with.
Avila named Arizona State, DePaul, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon State and Texas A&M, with Oklahoma State allegedly offering a $500,000 to $1 million NIL package to secure him.
Avila brings one of college basketball’s most unique skill sets with him to TCU. He averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, shooting better than 37% from the 3-point range over his four seasons.
He joins TCU – coached by Jamie Dixon – at 3-0, with wins over Lindenwood, Southern and Louisiana-Monroe by a combined 99-point margin of victory. The Horned Frogs are 52nd in the current KenPom rankings, sitting top-55 in both offensive and defensive rating.
Sophomore Micah Robinson is TCU’s leading scorer, ranking sixth in the Big 12 at 21.3 points per game. Senior Brock Harding is the conference’s leader in total assists.
TCU’s claim on Avila has not been confirmed yet. The Horned Frogs take on Milwaukee Friday at 7 p.m. before a home game against one of Avila’s rumored suitors, Texas A&M, in Fort Worth.
