Saint Louis is hiring Indiana State’s Josh Schertz as its next head men’s basketball coach. The move comes roughly three weeks after the school fired former head coach Travis Ford, who made just one NCAA Tournament appearance in his eight seasons at the helm.
Schertz is coming off a three-year stint at Indiana State where he posted a 66-40 record and helped get the program back on an upward trajectory. The Sycamores made it to the MVC Tournament championship game this season and just missed the NCAA Tournament cut, using the snub to fuel a run to the NIT title hame. His success this season made him one of the rising mid-major head coaching commodities and his name was floated as a potential candidate for the Louisville job. He was also being considered for the opening at his alma mater Florida Atlantic, but the Owls decided to go elsewhere. Instead, he’ll try to turn around a struggling Billikens in the A-10.
With Schertz jumping to Saint Louis, that immediately brings the question of whether or not ISU center Robbie Avila will follow him through the transfer portal. As a sophomore this season, the bespectacled big man from Oak Forest, IL, became a mid-major star within college basketball for his shooting and passing prowess, earning nicknames like “Larry Blurred” and “Cream Abdul-Jabbar.” Avila earned First Team All-MVC honors, ending the year averaging 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
We’ve seen teams with first-year head coaches make quick turnarounds with smart transfer portal additions and Avila could be a literal game-changer for Saint Louis. His starpower would also inject energy and life into the program as he’s already somewhat of a Midwestern folk hero. There is also the possibility that he parlays his success this season into a spot on a power conference roster as several teams could use a 6’10” forward of his caliber.