Ex-Lakers rookie returns to college after absurd NCAA eligibility loophole

Former Lakers summer-league player Robbie Avila has been cleared to return to college basketball for a fifth season with Saint Louis. A court order affecting a wider group of athletes made his return possible, and he is expected to face Missouri on Friday.

Avila, nicknamed “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” for his glasses, graduated from Saint Louis earlier this year. A Colorado federal judge issued a class-wide preliminary injunction requiring the NCAA to deem eligible high school Class of 2022 athletes who had exhausted their eligibility in the spring. After the Lakers waived Avila before the regular season, returning to Saint Louis was his route back to college; he averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season.