Jamie Dixon and the TCU Horned Frogs have their newest big man, Robbie Avila.
Avila, a St. Louis transfer, is actively “finalizing a deal” to join TCU men’s basketball for the upcoming season, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
TCU, now 3-0 to begin the regular season, which continues Friday with another home game vs. Milwaukee, is expected to greet Avila on campus later this week. He’ll join West Virginia transfer forward DJ Thomas and center Xavier Edmonds on the block.
Just last week, a Missouri judge issued an injunction to Avila, who has now been granted an additional year of eligibility. But a rift with the College Sports Commission denied Josh Schertz and the Bilikens a 16th roster spot.
Avila (1,990 career points), originally the No. 6 recruit out of Illinois when he began his career at Indiana State in 2022, finished the back end of his career with the Bilikens, who leaned on the 6-foot-10 center for 14.5 points, 5.5 boards and 3.5 assists per game last season.
Avila, the 2025-26 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, represented the Los Angeles Lakers in the latest NBA Summer League campaign after going undrafted. He’ll be an instant game-changer for Dixon’s TCU, which is chasing another run at the NCAA Tourney.
It’s the latest storyline in a laundry list of current college basketball players who entered the NBA Draft process, and in many cases even represented a franchise outside the regular season, and still managed a legal avenue back into the college sphere.
