The Athletic has stay protection of the second round of 2026 Men’s March Madness.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Indiana State had a brand new coach from Division II with forward-thinking concepts about how he needed the Sycamores to play basketball. A giant man with point-guard expertise was required.
Priority No. 1 for Zak Boisvert, then an assistant to Josh Schertz in 2021, was to seek out that participant.
“You’re going to need a five-man that can pass. A five-man that can shoot. A five-man that can think,” Boisvert stated. “I was really very, very diligent about looking for a five-man, because none of this would work without it. That’s the most important part of our offense.”
A good friend who was teaching highschool ball within the Chicago space tipped him off to a potential resolution — however the textual content additionally got here with a warning.
“He doesn’t pass the look-test, but bear with me,” Boisvert, who’s now an assistant for Schertz at Saint Louis, stated Friday.
Five years and two faculties later, Robbie Avila nonetheless doesn’t appear like a typical basketball star, along with his rec specs and not-quite-sculpted 6-foot-10, 240-pound physique.
That will probably be particularly evident Saturday within the second spherical of the NCAA Tournament when Avila and ninth-seeded Saint Louis tackle top-seeded Michigan. Across the entrance line, the Wolverines most positively look the half: Chiseled 6-9 All-American Yaxel Lendeborg; 6-9 Morez Johnson Jr., who took over within the second half of the Wolverines’ first-round rout of Howard; and 7-3 middle Aday Mara.
Still, Avila, the faculty basketball cult sensation dubbed Cream Abdul-Jabbar (or Milk Chamberlain or SLU Alcindor, among many other nicknames), is more likely to be crucial participant on the ground.
“Robbie is the ultimate connector,” Michigan coach Dusty May stated. “He’s one of the best decision-makers that I’ve seen in college basketball as far as how quickly he can process and make the right decisions, and he puts the defense in a pickle almost every single possession.
“He’s been fun to watch and to see his journey. Because you put him with different players as the hub and they look like a well-oiled machine no matter who the other four guys are because of the intelligence he brings and the skill level.”
Avila was enjoying at Oak Forest High School when an opposing coach alerted Boisvert to him. Boisvert first searched Avila on-line and, no, he did not cross the look take a look at.
“What’s the Brad Pitt line from ‘Moneyball’? ‘We’re not selling jeans. We’re trying to win baseball games.’ Ultimately, you got to sift through that,” Boisvert stated.
Quickly, Boisvert realized Avila was precisely the participant he was searching for.
“You watch the film, and it just pops out, the shooting, the passing. And then you get a chance to talk to him, and the brain pops out, because his ultimate superpower is just how he thinks,” Boisvert stated. “It took (Schertz) 16 minutes of basketball to say the kid’s perfect for us.”
Schertz spent 13 seasons at Division II Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee, the place he gained 83 % of his video games and was an NCAA Tournament common. He was employed by Indiana State in 2021.
Indiana State is finest often called the college that produced Celtics nice Larry Bird, however the Sycamores have performed within the event solely thrice since that well-known NCAA championship sport look in opposition to Magic Johnson’s Michigan State group in 1979.
With Avila main the best way (17.4 factors, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per sport) as a sophomore in 2024, the Sycamores appeared primed to snap a 12-year NCAA drought. They completed 17-3 within the Missouri Valley Conference, and Avila went viral. The nicknames adopted.
Larry Nerd. Larry Blurred. Steph Blurry. College Jokic and Baby Jokic, as a result of his all-around, close-to-the-ground sport is much like the three-time NBA MVP.
“We call him Baby Jokic,” SLU guard Trey Green stated. “He can read the game. Even though he’s not the fastest player, he can read it at a fast pace, and it slows everything down for us.”
Avila’s private favourite nickname is Rob Wave, enjoying off the husky rapper Rod Wave.
“It definitely took a little bit for me to kind of get used to when it first started happening sophomore year,” Avila stated Friday. “Seeing my face all over social media and stuff like that, it was definitely an adjustment to be made. But like I said, I enjoy it. I have fun. I think the biggest thing is that I enjoy watching my family and friends enjoy it.”
Saint Louis dominated Georgia 102-77 within the first spherical on Thursday. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Avila and Indiana State had been denied the chance to interrupt out into the mainstream in 2024. They misplaced within the Missouri Valley event ultimate to Drake and had been among the many first 4 groups disregarded of the NCAA area by the choice committee.
When Schertz was employed away from Indiana State by Saint Louis after that season, Avila adopted the coach to the Atlantic 10.
“Having the ability to trust him, the way he trusted me out of high school, it was definitely huge,” Avila stated.
It took a 12 months to place all of the items in place, however Schertz and Avila had been at it once more this season. The Billikens began 24-1 and had been adequate to snag the at-large bid that eluded Indiana State in 2024.
If there was any doubt they belonged, that was wiped away Thursday night time when the Billikens carved up Georgia, 102-77. Avila had 12 factors, 5 rebounds and 5 assists as Saint Louis’ second-half lead reached as excessive as 40.
Avila leads the Billikens in scoring and assists, even when his stats are down general this season (12.9 factors, 4.6 rebounds), partially as a result of Saint Louis is one of the deepest groups within the nation with 9 gamers averaging at the least quarter-hour. Schertz additionally revealed a couple of week in the past that his MVP has been coping with a nagging foot harm, although Avila has not missed a sport.
For Saint Louis to knock off mighty Michigan, Avila will probably must go from people hero to superhero.
Boisvert would by no means doubt him.
“He doesn’t try to be anyone he’s not,” Boisvert stated. “Understanding who you are and not trying to be someone you’re not is a superpower, and that guy gets it. I think it really makes him a better player, because I think he’s secure in himself, sure in who he is and his faults. I think that really is his superpower.”
