Former Bengals' basketball star Robbie Avila used his Name, Image and License money from Indiana State to give shoes to varsity players.
Patch Staff
|Updated Sat, Dec 30, 2023 at 4:40 pm CT
OAK FOREST, IL — From the first day Matt Manzke laid eyes on Robbie Avila, he knew he was destined to play basketball at the next level.
Now that Avila, the 6-foot-10 former Oak Forest standout is there as one of the highest-rated players ever to commit to Indiana State University's men's basketball program, the sophomore center isn’t afraid to give back to the high school basketball program that made him one of the top talents to come out of Illinois in 2022.
Avila recently donated 20 pairs of Nike Giannis Immortality 3.5 basketball shoes to the Oak Forest varsity basketball program, using the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money he has earned during his first two seasons at Indiana State. With the Nike shoes retailing for more than $100 a pair, Avila’s generous donation to his alma mater was certainly appreciated by his former coach, Manzke, who is now the school’s athletic director.
Yet, the gesture came as no surprise.
“It just speaks volumes to the character of Robbie,” Manzke told Patch on Wednesday. “These kids in Oak Forest who want to play basketball, they look up to him. So it means a lot because he’s aware that he’s a role model and he wants to be a good role model for the community. So the fact he wants to do this tells you what kind of person he is.”
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Avila finished his Oak Forest career as the Bengals’ all-time leading scorer after averaging 23.9 points per game along with 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 steals and two blocks. He ranked as the sixth-best player in Illinois as a senior and was ranked the nation’s 54th top power forward in the country, according to 24/7 Sports.
Avila, who lived in Oak Forest since the first grade and began working out on the Bengals' home court at summer camps since the fourth grade, says he always wanted to give back to his community. The NIL concept is still new, but not only provides college players with a little extra spending money but also allows them to use the funds to contribute to worthy causes.
Avila told Patch on Wednesday there was no doubt where a portion of his NIL money would land. He calls the NIL money "a blessing" and gives college athletes a bit of money to live on thanks to a relatively new ruling that allows players to benefit from the sale of merchandise bearing their name, likeness, and image.
"Obviously, it depends on the person, but the opportunity to give back by using that kind of money allows guys like me to be able to do stuff like this not only for the high school team but for the community," Avila told Patch on Wednesday. "I'm going to continue to give back as much as I can to give back."
The former Class 3A first-team all-state selection has only continued to progress at Indiana State, where he started 29 games as a freshman and averaged 10.7 points per game. A Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman performer, Avila has continued to thrive as a sophomore for the Sycamores, who face Michigan State on Saturday.
Avila is averaging 16.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for Indiana State, which is 11-1 overall and 2-0 in MVC play. Avila was named the program's Player of the Week on Monday after scoring 18 points and grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds in a victory over Tennessee State last week.
Manzke characterizes Avila as someone who has always been more about the team than himself, which came shining through with his recent donation. Manzke, who coached the Bengals’ varsity program for 14 years, said that he knows other top players may not choose to give back to the school where they made a name for themselves, but yet, Avila chose to.
“That’s just how he lived his life during his entire time in high school,” Manzke said. “He’s just an unselfish, good person.”
Avila says that his former coach's message of discipline, collective responsibility, togetherness, and selflessness sunk in immediately during his time at Oak Forest. Despite being away at school, Avila says that Oak Forest will always be home as the place where he not only developed his game but also where his sense of responsibility and being a good person took shape.
Those values, he said, will remain with him for the rest of his life.
"I love Oak Forest and what it has done for me," Avila told Patch "(The shoe donation) is just a little piece of what I can do for them and I'm going to continue to do as much as I can."
He added: "It's an amazing feeling, helping others. If I were a kid and I got a pair of shoes like that, I'd be ecstatic. But just being able to see all of the guys happy, seeing them get a pair of shoes. They loved it and it brings me as much joy as it brought them."
Manzke said that Oak Forest’s varsity program used to have a designated team shoe. But in a day and age where high school players often show their individuality through the shoes they wear on the court, the fact that the Bengals will continue with their season in matching footwear makes the donation even more meaningful.
Manzke, along with Oak Forest varsity coach TJ Cobb, is constantly preaching selflessness and the concepts of teamwork and giving back. So when Avila returned recently to donate to Bengals’ players in person recently, current Oak Forest players — including two who played with Avila during his final season with the program — were instantly grateful to receive such a gift from a player who became the face of the Oak Forest team.
“We’re hoping that some of our guys in our program continue to live out that mission of selflessness and unselfishness,” Manzke said.
He added: (Avila) is a guy that our players want to be like. And so, for him to be there and for him to be giving them the shoes, you could see it in their eyes what a special moment it was."
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