NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 21 in 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
1. Robbie Avila (Indiana State)
By name alone not every college basketball fan would know or recognize Avila, but his look alone gained him plenty of attentions and fans this season. Avila played well as a freshman before really coming on this season as a sophomore in a historic campaign for Indiana State. His glasses and size made him a fan favorite even if the Sycamores fell short of the Big Dance; though Avila’s individual season certainly isn’t something to forget either.
The leading scorer and biggest part of that success for Indiana State, Avila averaged 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while making 53% of his field goals, including a 39% mark from outside the arc. He was named First Team All-MVC, standing out as one of the conference’s leaders in points, rebounds, assists, and a myriad of metrics. He was the most notable piece on a 32-win season that included a regular season title in the MVC and a trip to the finals of the NIT.
When Avila dropped 27 points on Rice, it was perhaps a sign of greatness to come, as the Sycamores soared to a hot start to the season. He notably had 22 points in a road win over Bradley and showed up nightly during league play, keying the Sycamores’ title. Avila actually had a 35-point effort in a road win at Evansville before taking the Sycamores to the title games of both the MVC Tournament and NIT.
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One of his final games featured 26 points and 10 rebounds against Utah, though we’ll have to get used to him in a different shade of blue. Avila followed his coach Josh Schertz to Saint Louis.