TCU men's basketball nearing deal to add reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year

Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Nov 12, 2026

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FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU men’s basketball is nearing a deal to add reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Robbie Avila to the roster, sources confirmed to the Star-Telegram on Thursday.

CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein was the first to report the news.

Avila averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season for Saint Louis. Avila’s eligibility expired last season, but he was granted a preliminary injunction for another year last week. However, Avila was unable to return to Saint Louis due to roster limits, which ultimately led to him considering the Horned Frogs.

Avila went undrafted after last season but played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Summer League. However, new NCAA rules allowing players to have five seasons of eligibility allowed Avila and others to pursue the right to play this season.

The midseason pickup comes after TCU head coach Jamie Dixon said the program would be without starting center Luke Bamgboye “for a while.” The Texas Tech transfer has missed TCU’s last two games, including the Horned Frogs’ narrow 100-92 double overtime win over Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday.

Dixon released a statement Thursday afternoon:

“After exhausting all options to play at Saint Louis, Robbie and his family approached me Saturday after hearing about our injury situation. We have just informed our team that we are in the process of finalizing his eligibility at TCU.”

Avila, listed at 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, should provide some much-needed size and experience in the frontcourt. Avila started his career at Indiana State, where he was voted to the Missouri Valley Conference all-freshman team in 2023 and then was selected first team All-MVC in 2024.

Avila transferred to Saint Louis and was a two-team All-Atlantic 10 selection.

The Horned Frogs will host Milwaukee at 7 p.m. Friday night at Schollmaier Arena. The Horned Frogs also have pivotal matchup against Texas A&M on Nov. 19.