This time last year, there was palpable excitement in St. Louis. After an NIT run that ended in a championship game appearance — following a snub from the NCAA Tournament — Indiana State head coach Josh Schertz announced he would take over for Travis Ford as the next head coach of Saint Louis University.
That same offseason, two key contributors from Indiana State, Isaiah Swope and Robbie Avila, announced they would follow Schertz to SLU.
The Billikens also retained now all-time leading scorer Gibson Jimerson, as well as Kellen Thames and Larry Hughes II. Additional portal additions included AJ Casey (Miami), Kobe Johnson (West Virginia), Kalu Anya (Brown) and Josiah Dotzler (Creighton), creating the sense that SLU was primed to make a run in the Atlantic 10 during the 2024–25 season.
However, the year consisted of bad breaks. Avila missed a few early games due to an injury he suffered in the opener. Casey never suited up for the team. Hughes II left the program. Dotzler tore his ACL. Thames battled injuries of his own.
Those setbacks forced the Billikens to rely on a shortened rotation, often playing just seven players. Swope and Jimerson logged nearly every minute during that stretch.
Flash forward to now, and the Billikens are turning over a new leaf — attacking the portal once again as they look to reload.
Swope and Jimerson have graduated, but SLU has added several notable transfers: Paul Otieno (Quinnipiac), Brady Dunlap (St. John’s), Trey Green (Xavier), Dion Brown (Boston College) and Quentin Jones (Northern Illinois).
Even with those additions, the Billikens may still look to add another guard or forward.
With the return of potential Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Robbie Avila, the promise of Kalu Anya (assuming he stays), and the emergence of freshman Dylan Warlick, Saint Louis appears poised to compete in the A-10 — once again putting together one of the better transfer portal efforts in the country.
