Azavier “Stink” Robinson will stay home during college.
Robinson, last season’s Marion County Player of the Year for Lawrence North, announced his commitment to Butler on Saturday. The 6-2 guard averaged 20.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game for a team that finished 25-4 and won the city championship, along with sectional titles and Class 4A regionals.
Robinson narrowed his list in June to five schools: Butler, Cincinnati, DePaul, Notre Dame and Xavier and scheduled official visits to DePaul, Xavier, Notre Dame and Butler for September. But it appears those visits – other than Butler – are out of the question. Coach Thad Matta offered Robinson a scholarship nearly a year before the date (August 2, 2023) of his commitment.
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“The relationship with the coaching staff,” Robinson said about the main reason for his commitment. “Even because there were times when the entire coaching staff was there and watched me play. Coach Matta was there a lot and (assistant coach Alex Barlow) told me from the beginning that he was going to make my choice difficult by not picking Butler. He was at pretty much all of my games all summer.
Robinson, rated as a four-star prospect and the county’s No. 89 player in the 247Sports compound for the class of 2025, is already 5th on Lawrence North’s all-time scoring list with 1,370 career points. He was one of six players named to the Junior All-Stars first team after last season, joining Dezmon Briscoe of Crispus Attucks, Brady Koehler of Cathedral, Braylon Mullins of Greenfield-Central, Trent Sisley of Heritage Hills (now at Montverde Academy in Florida) and Mark Zackery IV by Ben Davis.
Robinson said staying home wasn’t necessarily the main goal, but he sees it as “more positive than negative.”
“I grew up and raised here,” he said. “I like that my family can watch me play.”
Butler now has two commits in the 2025 class. The Bulldogs signed 6-8 Jack McCaffery, a four-star prospect from Iowa City, Iowa, on Monday. McCaffery, the son of Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, joins his older brother Patrick McCaffery on the Butler roster. Patrick transferred from Iowa to Butler for his final year of eligibility.
Colt Langdon, a 6-7 three-star forward from Raleigh NC, committed in early July and announced he was reclassifying from the 2025 class to 2024.
“I think joining them will be a good core group going forward,” Robinson said. “I don’t know many of the players they have now, but I’m looking forward to learning more.”
Robinson, who plans to make his official visit to Butler Sept. 4-6, said he spoke with Former Lawrence North star and Butler assistant Greg Oden several times during the recruiting process and spoke with Oden’s former LN teammate and NBA veteran Mike Conley Jr., who played for Matta at Ohio State. The coaching staff, including Oden, likes Robinson’s style of play.
“They told me they like how hard I play every possession,” he said. “Win or lose, Coach Barlow said he really likes players who don’t give up or just play when they feel like it. They like my versatile game, how I play on both ends of the court and how I can get into the paint because they have a lot of shooters. It will make the game easier for me and easier for my team in my playmaking and going down.
There is nothing guaranteed with playing time coming up, which Robinson appreciates.
“We don’t talk about playing time,” he said. “As a freshman, nothing is promised. Play time is not promised. I’m willing to work hard and ask for nothing.”
Robinson said the timing of his decision was due to a meeting he had with his family. After the meeting, it was obvious that Butler was No. 1.
“I kind of planned to commit before my senior year,” he said. “A weight has been lifted off my shoulders to enjoy my senior year at LN and continue to improve and lead Lawrence North basketball. I want to go to state, something I haven’t been able to do in the last three years. I want to get there. And one of my personal goals is to break the scoring record.”
Azavier Robinson scouting report: What kind of player is Butler signing?
Old fashion.
That’s how I would describe Robinson’s style after watching him the last three seasons at Lawrence North. Robinson’s wingspan and aggressive style make him a liability on defense. He gets into passing lanes and makes it difficult for smaller guards to pass or dribble. He is also one of the best rebounding guards in the state. Even though he was a freshman, this was one of the first noticeable characteristics of Robinson’s game.
In attack, Robinson is at his best when he is on the attack, whether it is getting to the paint to score or preparing his teammates. He improved his 3-point shooting (33.6%) from his sophomore to junior years, though that’s an area he’ll need to continue improving in his senior season with the Wildcats and beyond in college.
Robinson is more of a combo guard than a true point guard or point guard, but he can fit in at either position. While some prospects are more projection-oriented, Robinson produced consistently throughout high school. As he enters the college weight room and continues to improve his conditioning, Robinson projects as a player who can contribute in a variety of areas for Butler – potentially early on.
What’s next for Butler basketball recruiting?
Specifically for Butler, from a state perspective, it will be interesting to see where things progress with Jeffersonville’s 6-8 Tre Singleton, who has moved up to No. 144 in the new rankings released by 247Sports for the class of 2025. There’s a lot of competition there, though. , including locally from Louisville, which was offered in mid-July. Singleton also has offers from Northwestern, Notre Dame, Purdue, Wake Forest and Xavier, among others.
Azavier Robinson Highlights
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball lands commitment from 2025 guard Azavier Robinson
