Why did Robbie Avila transfer from Indiana State? Sycamores forward in transfer portal

Josh Schertz might not be the only one who won't return to Indiana State basketball next season.

One day after the college men's basketball season came to an end — with UConn defeating Purdue for the national championship — Sycamores star forward Robbie Avila announced he would be entering the transfer portal.

"First off I would like to thank God for allowing me to play the game I love. He has continued to bless me in so many ways. I would like to thank my teammates and coaches over these last two years. The family bonds we've made have been absolutely special and will last a lifetime. I am truly a better person and player going through this journey with them," Avila said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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"....With that being said, after much consideration, I will be entering my name into the transfer portal and look forward to the future. Thank you Sycamore Nation."

Avila, who is coming off a career season with Indiana State, will have two years of eligibility remaining. He helped lead the Sycamores to the NIT championship game, where they lost to Seton Hall after Indiana State missed out on making the NCAA Tournament.

Here's what you need to know about Avila's departure from Indiana State:

Why did Robbie Avila transfer from Indiana State?

When Schertz announced he was leaving Indiana State for the vacant head coaching position at Saint Louis, rumors began to circulate that Avila's time in Terre Haute may have come to an end. Avila entered the portal on Tuesday.

Though the traditional NCAA transfer portal window is already open for men's basketball right now — which allows any player in the country to transfer — the NCAA does initiate a 30-day window for players when their head coach is either fired or leaves the program for another program. Both are valid for Avila entering the portal.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Avila is a "strong favorite" to head to Saint Louis to now play for Schertz. In addition, Avila's profile in the transfer portal has a red exclamation point per Thamel, which tags him as a no-contact recruit for other programs.

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Avila — thanks to his sports glasses and nicknames such as "Larry Nerd" and “Cream Abdul-Jabbar" — turned into a college basketball star and internet sensation in his breakout sophomore season. He helped lead the Sycamores to a Missouri Valley Conference regular season title and a runner-up finish in the NIT this season.

The news of Avila's announcement to enter the portal was big enough that it made its way onto Tuesday's editions of "The Pat McAfee Show" on ESPN. Before Indiana State's NIT championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Avila made an in-studio appearance on this show, which is based out of Indianapolis.

The 6-foot-10 forward out of Oak Forest, Illinois is one of eight Indiana State players in the portal, including each of its five leading scorers, per Thamel.

Robbie Avila stats

After a solid freshman season at Indiana State — one in which he started 29 of 34 games played and had 10.7 poings per game — Avila had a breakout sophomore season in 2023-24, seeing career-high numbers in points, rebounds and assists per game.

Here's a full year-by-year breakdown of Avila's stats at Indiana State:

• 2022-23: 363 total points, 136 total rebounds, 56 total assists, 10.7 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game, 1.6 assists per game, 54% shooting from the field and 33.7% shooting from 3
• 2023-24: 644 total points, 243 total rebounds, 150 total assists, 17.4 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, 4.1 assists per game, 53.6% shooting from the field and 39.4% shooting from 3
• Career: 1,007 total points, 379 total rebounds, 206 total assists, 14.2 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 2.9 assists per game, 53.7% shooting from the field and 37.2% shooting from 3