Azavier “Stink” Robinson is staying home for college.
Robinson, the Marion County Player of the Year last season 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 county championship, along with Class 4A sectional and regional titles.
Robinson cut his list in June to five schools: Butler, Cincinnati, DePaul, Notre Dame and Xavier and set official visits to DePaul, Xavier, Notre Dame and Butler for September. But it appears those visits — other than Butler — are off the table. Coach Thad Matta offered Robinson a scholarship almost a year to the date (Aug. 2, 2023) from his commitment.
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“The relationship with the coaching staff,” Robinson said of the main reason for his commitment. “Especially because there has been times when the whole coaching staff was there and saw me play. Coach Matta was there a lot and (assistant coach Alex Barlow) told me from the beginning he was going to make it hard for me not to pick Butler. He was pretty much at all my games all summer.”
Robinson, rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 89 player in the county on the 247Sports composite for the 2025 class, is already No. 5 on the Lawrence North all-time scoring list with 1,370 career points. He was one of six players named to the core Junior All-Stars 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 of Ben Davis.
Robinson said staying home was not necessarily a main goal but he views it as “a positive more than a negative.”
“I grew up and was raised here,” he said. “I like that my family is going to be able to see me play.”
Butler now has two commits in the 2025 class. The Bulldogs picked up a commitment from 6-8 Jack McCaffery, a four-star prospect from Iowa City, Iowa, on Monday. McCaffery, the son of Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, joins 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 N.C., committed earlier in July and announced he was reclassifying from the 2025 to 2024 class.
“I feel like adding myself with them will be a good future core group,” Robinson said. “The players they have now, I don’t really know many but I’m looking forward to learning more.”
Robinson, who plans to take his official visit to Butler from Sept. 4-6, said he spoke to 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 vet 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 in or just play when they feel like it. They like my all-round game, how I play both ends of the floor and how I can get can get into the paint because they have lots of shooters. That will make the game easier for me and easier for my team with my playmaking and getting downhill.”
There is nothing guaranteed with playing time coming in, which Robinson appreciates.
“We haven’t talked about playing time,” he said. “As a freshman, nothing is promised. Playing time is not promised. I’m willing to work hard and not ask for anything.”
Robinson said the timing of his decision was due to a sit-down meeting he had with his family. After the meeting, it was obvious Butler was the No. 1 spot.
“I had kind of planned on committing before my senior year,” he said. “It takes a weight off my shoulders to enjoy my senior year at LN and keep improving and leading Lawrence North basketball. I want to go to state, which is something I haven’t been able to do the past three years. I want to get there. And one of my personal goals is breaking the scoring record.”
Azavier Robinson scouting report: What type of player is Butler getting?
Old school.
That is how I would describe Robinson’s style after watching him the past three seasons at Lawrence North. Robinson’s wing span and aggressive style makes him a problem on defense. He gets in 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 as a freshman, that was one of the first noticeable traits about Robinson’s game.
On offense, Robinson is at his best when he is on the attack, either getting to the paint to score or set up his teammates. He improved his 3-point shooting (33.6%) from his sophom*ore to junior year, though that is an area that will need to keep improving going into his senior season with the Wildcats and beyond in college.
Robinson is more of a combo guard than a true point guard or shooting guard, but can fit in either spot. Where some prospects are more about the projection, Robinson has produced consistently through high school. As he gets into a 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.
What’s next for Butler basketball recruiting?
Specifically for Butler from an in-state perspective, it will be interesting to see where things progress with Jeffersonville’s 6-8 Tre Singleton, who rose to No. 144 in the new rankings released by 247Sports for the 2025 class. There is plenty of competition there, however, including locally from Louisville, which 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.
