AJ Casey and Robbie Avila parted ways as teammates in high school temporarily after years spent on the same team in a Chicago-area middle school.
They were two of the top players in the city, the same age but with vastly disparate skill sets.
Now, the former Arbor Park Middle School Panthers will reunite at ºüÀêÊÓƵ University after Casey announced he will transfer from Miami, where he spent the past two seasons.
“That’s my guy,†Avila said. “I’ve known him since we were in grammar school and played ball with him all the way up to high school. So I’m definitely excited to be back in the same uniform with him and ready to get to work.â€
Casey was a power-conference recruit out of high school. The 6-foot-9 forward is from Chicago’s Whitney Young High, where he reportedly had offers from the likes of Gonzaga and Illinois, along with several other Big Ten schools. Casey was a four-star recruit out of high school.
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He went to Miami and struggled to get playing time, leaving with averages of 1.4 points and 1.5 rebounds in 53 games as a reserve. He had a shoulder injury that hampered his progress as a freshman.
“We are incredibly excited to add AJ to our program,†SLU head coach Josh Schertz said. “The things that really pop out to me are his athleticism and versatility on both ends of the floor. He’s a true hybrid, which means offensively he can play with a big and also operate as a small-ball 5. Defensively, he has the quickness, length, strength and lateral quickness to guard 1-5. He’s a great young man who is hungry for this opportunity, and I cannot wait to partner with him to help reach his ceiling as a player.â€
After teaming to go 22-0 as seventh graders, Casey and Avila went their separate ways in high school but played in the same conference briefly. They also played AAU basketball together.
When Avila’s Indiana State team won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship, Casey posted a photo of Avila with the trophy and wrote, “Congratulations to my brother.â€
The Chicago Tribune called Casey a “generational talent†during his senior year of high school.
He is in the power forward mold at 220 pounds. He was a top 100 player as ranked by ESPN in the class of 2022.
Casey’s signing gives SLU nine players for next season, with four scholarships to fill. Transfer players expected on campus for visits this week include Camren Hunter, a 6-3 guard whose previous school was Central Arkansas; 6-6 wing Cameron Sheffield (Rice); and 6-8 forward Kalu Anya (Brown).