With thick goggles and colorful nicknames, Robbie Avila is leading Saint Louis in March Madness
BUFFALO, N. Y. (AP) — Robbie Avila is the first to admit he doesn’t look the part of a basketball player, with his thick goggles that seem too small for his head, and the way the 6-foot-10, 240-pound Saint Louis center lumbers up and down the court.
The 22-year-old from suburban Chicago is self-aware enough to bring attention to his deficiencies by coming up with self-deprecating nicknames such as “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” and “Milk Chamberlain. ” Or how about “SLU Alcindor,” which incorporates his school’s initials. Beyond the jokes and looks, Avila can actually play basketball — at an elite level — and has the resume to prove it.
He’s the Atlantic 10 player of the year, leads the team in scoring and assists, and played a key role in Saint Louis' 102-77 win over Georgia on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Billikens (29-5), seeded ninth in the Midwest Region, will face top-seeded Michigan (32-3) on Saturday. “I’ve never seen a player like him.
Never,” Saint Louis guard Dion Brown said. “He’s 6-10. He thinks like a guard but doesn’t move quite as fast as a guard, but he shoots like a guard.
There’s just so many ways he can affect the game,” Brown added of a teammate who ranks third among NCAA centers with 211 career 3-pointers. “He’s someone who can elevate everyone else’s game. ” And then there's the attention Avila has drawn for an appearance incongruous with his skills.