BUFFALO, N.Y. -- As Saint Louis center Robbie Avila was subbed off the court to end his college career, the chants of "Robbie," echoed from the Billikens' support section that gave him a standing ovation. He embraced coach Josh Schertz as he made his way to the bench.
The senior has become a favorite of college basketball fans, and his many nicknames have become the stuff of internet legend -- including most notably Cream Abdul-Jabbar.
But the attention, Avila said after the No. 9 Billikens' second-round loss in the NCAA tournament to No. 1 Michigan 95-72, has its pros and cons, while also acknowledging that it's been a "little bit" of a life-changing experience.
"I kind of take it with a grain of salt," Avila said. "Some days it's good. Some days it's not good. When you're really, really good, that attention is awesome. When you're not, it's a negative. I kind of not try to let it play too big into my head. I'm just blessed to be able to play the sport that I love at a high level. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue to play basketball for a long time."
Avila's season ends after being named the A-10 Player of the Year and leading Saint Louis to its first NCAA tournament win since 2014, putting up 102 points over No. 8 Georgia in the first round. The program also had its most wins (29) in school history.
In his last game, he went 3-of-13, including 3-of-10 from 3, but did lead a spark for the Billikens to keep them in the game early in the second half. He had nine points, one rebound and five assists. He ended his college career with 1,900 points, 473 assists and 750 rebounds.
His two years in Saint Louis came after following Schertz from Indiana State. In two seasons at Indiana State, he had 1,007 points across 71 games.
"He came to St. Louis, a place that hadn't been winning and won," Schertz said. "And we're only 23 months from being 14th in the A-10, to being one of the last 32 teams standing. If you look at it, it's been a quick trajectory, and he's had the most to do with it of anybody.
"I'm incredibly proud of him and his growth over the four years. I think he won 100-some games, a little over 100 games in four years. He's been incredible -- great teammate, great competitor, great human being."
