Robbie Avila earns 5th year via restraining order to return to Saint Louis basketball, per reports

One of college basketball's most popular figures appears to be back. According to multiple reports, Saint Louis men's basketball forward Robbie Avila was granted a temporary restraining order on Friday, Oct. 23 that provides him a fifth year of eligibility and a path to rejoin the Billikens roster for the 2026-27 season.Avila has a preliminary injunction hearing set for Wednesday, Nov. 4. END OF AN ERA?: Villanova is leaving the Big 5, dealing another blow to a college basketball traditionAvila stole the hearts of the college basketball world in 2024 when he led Indiana State to a magical, viral run in the NIT, where he took on nicknames like "The College Jokic" and "Larry Nerd" with his 6-foot-10, 240-pound frame.He followed coach Josh Schertz from Indiana State to Saint Louis following the Sycamores' NIT run in 2024. In two seasons at Saint Louis, Avila averaged 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 49.4%.Avila, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year last season, helped Saint Louis reach a program-record 29 wins and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Billikens started their March Madness run by knocking off 8-seed Georgia with a 102-77 win in the first round before losing to eventual national champion Michigan in the second round."Robbie, he's somebody that I've said, when he came with us from Indiana State, I think he legitimized our program immediately," Schertz said of Avila after Saint Louis was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in March. "He's, obviously, was one of the top recruits in the country, and to choose Saint Louis, and that was an incredible coup for us. He has, like I said, no coincidence that winning has followed him everywhere he's ever gone. He won in high school at a place that hadn't won. He went to Indiana State, a place that hadn't won. He came to Saint Louis, at a place that hadn't been winning, and won."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 that of anybody. I'm incredibly proud of him and his growth over the four years. I think he won 100 and some games, a little over 100 games in four years. He's been incredible, a great teammate, a great competitor, a great human being."POLL SNUBS: 5 teams getting way too little preseason respectAvila went undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft. He then signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Los Angeles Lakers and played in NBA Summer League for them. The Billikens were picked to finish second in the preseason Atlantic 10 poll, receiving 10 first-place votes, one fewer than projected favorite VCU.Saint Louis opens up the season against Lehigh on Monday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. ET. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Robbie Avila earns 5th year via restraining order to return to Saint Louis basketball, per reports