The Saint Louis Billikens men’s basketball team had a busy offseason, hiring former Indiana State Sycamores head coach Josh Schertz to replace Travis Ford who SLU fired after eight seasons as head coach.
Schertz, who led Indiana State to the NIT finals last season, was regarded as one of the best available coaches during the offseason hiring cycle.
As is often the case, Schertz didn’t come alone. Robbie Avila, who led the Sycamores in scoring last season with 17 points per game and emerged onto the national scene with a dominant display down the stretch for the Sycamores, transferred to SLU to play for Schertz as well.
Avila, who finished last season on the All-MVC First Team and earned nicknames such as ‘Cream Abdul-Jabbar’ due to his distinctive protective goggles, made his SLU debut on Monday. It didn’t go well for Avila or the Billikens, as SLU took an 85-78 loss to the Santa Clara Broncos on opening night.
Making things worse for the big man was the fact that Avila left the game with a right ankle injury with five minutes to go. He landed awkwardly after attempting to pass out of a layup attempt and was helped to the locker room. He returned to the bench with ice on his ankle and will be evaluated when the team returns to St. Louis
Avila had 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists before leaving the game. SLU will return to action on Sunday when they host the coincidentally-named D2 Avila University in their home opener.
[ESPN]
