Under new leadership, Saint Louis basketball looks to get back on track in 2024-25.
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Saint Louis basketball.
The Travis Ford era at Saint Louis came to an end after the Billikens’ first losing season since Ford’s first with the program back in 2016-17. He only got Saint Louis basketball to one NCAA Tournament appearance, and that was after making a surprising run in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Enter Josh Schertz, fresh off taking Indiana State to one of their best seasons in program history and the NIT runners up. The hope is that Schertz can imitate that same success for another mid-major program with a proud history. Schertz brings two key pieces of that run with him in Isaiah Swope and Robbie Avila.
Preseason expectations are banking on those changes paying off right away, with Saint Louis projecting towards the top of the Atlantic 10 and a possible NCAA Tournament berth. There are a lot of new faces beyond who followed Schertz from Terre Haute, IN, so carving out roles and rotations will be key to helping meet the hype surrounding the Billikens heading into 2024-25.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach: Josh Schertz (1st season at Saint Louis and 4th overall)
2023-24 record: 13-20 (5-13)
2024 postseason finish: Lost to Duquesne (83-73) in the A-10 Tournament Second Round
Notable departures:
- Sincere Parker (15.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.9 APG, 42.6% 3P%)
- Terrence Hargrove (13.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.7 APG 40.9% 3P%)
- Bradley Ezewiro (12.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 53.4% FG%)
- Tim Dalger (9.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 0.9 APG)
- Michael Meadows (5.7 PPG, 3.2 APG, 2.1 RPG)
- Cian Medley (4.3 PPG, 3.9 APG, 2.6 RPG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Wichita State (11/22 in Kansas City)
- at San Francisco (12/5)
- at Grand Canyon (12/22)
Projected Rotation
PG: Isaiah Swope (5-10, 175, Sr.)
2023-2024 stats: 15.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.3 SPG (Indiana State)
SG: Larry Hughes Jr. (6-4, 190, Jr.)
2023-2024 stats: 7.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.2 SPG
SF: Gibson Jimerson (6-5, 215, Rs.-Gr.-Sr.)
2023-2024 stats: 15.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.1 APG
PF: Kalu Anya (6-8, 225, Jr.)
2023-2024 stats: 9.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.0 BPG (Brown)
C: Robbie Avila (6-10, 240, Jr.)
2023-2024 stats: 17.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.1 APG, 53.6 FG%, 39.4 3P% (Indiana State)
6: Kellen Thames (6-6, 210, Jr.)
2023-2024 stats: 6.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.8 APG, 58.3% FG%
7: A.J. Casey (6-9, 225, Jr.)
2023-2024 stats: 1.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.3 APG (Miami FL)
8: Kobe Johnson (6-4, 200, Sr.)
2023-2024 stats: 6.0 PPG, 2.2 APG, 2.0 RPG (West Virginia)
9: Kilian Brockhoff (6-9, 230, So.)
2023-24 stats: 2.6 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.3 APG, 7.6 MPG (UC Santa Barbara)
Saint Louis Basketball Team MVP: Robbie Avila
Avila became one of the darlings of the college basketball world last season with his trademark spectacles and shining personality. He was a big reason why Indiana State was in the NCAA Tournament conversation last season and the NIT second place finisher. Now, as he follows his head coach to Saint Louis, he hopes to build on that success and become a legend at a second school.
Avila’s ability to repeat (at minimum) his production will be crucial to the success of the Billikens. It’ll also be interesting to see how he adjusts to a slightly higher step in competition in the Atlantic 10 as well.
Saint Louis Basketball make-or-break player: Gibson Jimerson
Folks familiar with A-10 basketball will know Jimerson very well. He’s entering his sixth! (yes, you read that correctly) season in Saint Louis. Injuries and COVID got Jimerson’s career off to a slow start, but he has been one of their most important players over the past three seasons. He gets the nod in this category because it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to a new system in his final season of eligibility.
There’s no question that Jimerson should have a starting spot and that he will produce. His tenure with the Billikens provides a veteran presence for all of the new faces, which should help them all settle in as the season goes on. One other exciting note: Jimerson should become the school’s all-time leading scorer at some point during the season, needing just 148 points to take that crown.
Key analytic: Defensive Efficiency
KenPom’s rating system is color coded for ease of use, but that system would make Saint Louis fans want to shield their eyes from last year’s defensive numbers. You’ll quickly notice nothing but bright red. The Billikens’ defense was one of the worst in the nation in 2023-24. Schertz’s group at Indiana State didn’t fly off the charts either, but it was serviceable. Drastic improvement should be expected, and those improvements along with the offensive firepower should help SLU meet expectations.
Saint Louis Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 3rd in the Atlantic 10
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 32