Indiana State's Avila Reveals Multiple NIL Glasses Suitors
Indiana State center Robbie Avila has captivated the nation throughout the 2023-2024 college basketball season with impressive stat lines and a large personality. While his 17.5 points and 6.6 rebounds a game are enough to make him a known entity to college basketball fans, it is his unique swagger, persona and style that has transcended him beyond the notoriety of your typical First-Team All Missouri Valley Conference player.
The most distinguishable aspect of his style are his on-court goggles; eliciting nostalgia to an era where many formidable big men donned a similar look: Kareem Abdul Jabbar, James Worthy and Horace Grant to name a few. Now, in an interview with ESPN's Pat McAfee, Avila noted that several companies have reached out with NIL offers to capitalize off of the nations infatuation with his eyewear.
Indiana State, led by Avila, remained relevant in college basketball discourse through their incredible team performance culminating in a program record 32 wins; the program also received a spot on the AP Poll for the first time since the 1978-79 season when Larry Bird was on the roster. After a heartbreaking loss to Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference championship, the Sycamores were unable to secure an at-large bid from the NCAA tournament committee, leading to the dismay of many college basketball fans. Ultimately, the snub did more to harm the March Madness tournament, as the star-power of Avila and the prowess of the Indiana State team were left to dominate the NIT.
The Sycamores have won four straight NIT tournament games and sit on the precipice of the tournament title. Indiana State is scheduled to play in the championship game tomorrow against fellow NCAA tournament snub Seton Hall. Many eyes will be on the NIT championship as each team takes the floor with a chip on their shoulder and their sights set on proving to the nation just how wrong the NCAA selection committee was.
Through Indiana State's NIT revenge tour, Avila's NIL stock has continued to rise: according to the ISU center, Oakley and the Rec Specs brand (Liberty Sports) have both reached out in efforts to form a NIL eyewear partnership. Avila also noted an "another bigger" eyewear company has reached out looking to partner with Avila.
An eyewear partnership for Avila is too good to not come to fruition. With iconic partners to choose from Avila has his work cut out for him in deciding who he ends up signing with. Due to his sophomore standing, the Sycamore center has plenty of time to extract NIL money from an upcoming eyewear deal and other partnerships.
The nation is owed a March Madness tournament with Avila on the floor. Hopefully, in the years to come, basketball fans will be graced by his personality in the Big Dance - and graced by the entertaining NIL endorsements that will naturally accompany his appearance on the game's biggest stage. Avila has helped put Indiana State back on the map, and, barring an entrance into the transfer portal, he will be Terre Haute's NIL darling for the foreseeable future.
NOAH HENDERSON
Professor Noah Henderson teaches in the sport management department at Loyola University Chicago. Outside the classroom, he advises companies, schools, and collectives on Name, Image, and Likeness best practices. His academic research focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and social consequences regarding college athletics, NIL, and sports gambling. Before teaching, Prof. Henderson was part of a team that amended Illinois NIL legislation and managed NIL collectives at the nation’s most prominent athletic institutions while working for industry leader Student Athlete NIL. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Economics from Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the golf team. Prof. Henderson is a native of San Diego, California, and a former golf CIF state champion with Torrey Pines High School. Outside of athletics, he enjoys playing guitar, hanging out with dogs, and eating California burritos. You can follow him on Twitter: @NoahImgLikeness.