Rob Phinisee

Robert Phinisee’s Biography

Rob Phinisee is currently a member of the Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Basketball team from Lafayette, Indiana. Phinisee graduated from McCutcheon high school and is the first men’s basketball player from Lafayette to sign with Indiana since 1948. He made an immediate impact as a leader and a defensive stalwart, cementing him as the starting point guard from day one. Besides playing basketball, Phinisee is currently pursuing a degree in Sports Marketing.

• Name: Robert “Rob” Phinisee
• Nationality: USA
• Position: Guard
• Recruiting Class: 2018
• Age: 25 years old
• Birthday: October 13, 1999
• Hometown: Lafayette, Ind.
• High School: McCutcheon High School
• AAU Team: Indiana Elite
• Height: 6’1″ (185 cm)
• Weight: 190 lbs (86 kg)
• Jersey Number: #10
• Education: Sports Marketing

Robert Phinisee’s Social Media

• Twitter: @robphinisee1
• Instagram: @robphinisee1

Rob Phinisee Seasons with the Hoosiers

Rob Phinisee Recruiting Profile

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4-Star Point Guard
• Teams: McCutcheon High School (Indiana), Indiana Elite (Indiana)
• Composite Rating: 0.9358
• Composite Ranking: 135th Overall, 22nd Point Guard, 4th in the State of Indiana
• Committed: August 19, 2017

Robert Phinisee’s High School Career

Rob Phinisee’s high school career at McCutcheon was filled with success, which led coach Archie Miller to pursue him. During his freshman year, he only averaged 6.6 points and 2.5 assists per game. However, in his sophomore year, he averaged 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists per game, leading his team to the Class 4A state championship game, where they lost to New Albany High School’s team, led by Hoosier Romeo Langford. Phinisee continued to improve the next two years, setting the record for most points scored in a game by a McCutcheon High School player by dropping 50 points in a game and totaling over 2000 points in 4 years.

Phinisee’s success unquestionably had scouts studying his game. Rivals ranked him 99^th and 247Sports had him at #109. IU, Purdue, Butler, Georgetown, Xavier and Virginia all offered him a spot on their teams. On November 8^th, 2017, Phinisee made the shocking and surprising decision to sign with the Indiana Hoosiers, becoming the first player to play for the Hoosier from Lafayette, Indiana since Bob Masters and Charlie Vaughn in 1948.  

Phinisee’s Freshman Year at Indiana University

For a true freshman, Rob Phinisee’s season was highly eventful. Out of 32 games played, he started in 29. Unfortunately, he was not able to participate in the games against Jacksonville, Illinois, and Michigan due to suffering a concussion against Central Arkansas. 

The Hoosiers started off the year strong, going 12-2 only losing to Arkansas and Duke on the road. The victories against Butler and Louisville were largely due to Phinisee ability to hit shots in crucial moments. With less than two minutes left against the Cardinals, Phinisee hit a three pointer, giving the Hoosiers the lead, which they never gave up for the remainder of the game. Against the Bulldogs, Phinisee hit a memorable, game winning three pointer at the buzzer to seal the deal.

After suffering a concussion sidelining him for three games, Phinisee came back to play for the rest of the season, yet they lost 11 of their next 12 games. During this negative stretch, a positive note was his defense against Carsen Edwards, Purdue’s best scoring player now on the Boston Celtics. Edwards’ two games against Phinisee were not very impressive, as he shot 10-42 overall.

During the last 5 games of the regular season, the Hoosiers finished 4-1, most notably defeating Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans in a nail biter. During the last moments of the game, Michigan State was down by one point and had the ball, immediately giving it to their star Cassius Winston. However, Phinisee played intense defense, making Winston’s life difficult on his missed game winning shot attempt.

Phinisee’s Future With the Hoosiers

Phinisee is set to continue his role as the starting point guard this upcoming 2019-2020 season. After the departure of leading scorers Juwan Morgan and Romeo Langford, Phinisee will surely look to have a significant leadership role alongside co-captains Devonte Green and Aljami Durham. After a close road victory against Penn State last year, Durham stated that Phinisee has done a good job running the team. If Phinisee teammates are confident enough to say he’s running the team, he should likely improve in his sophomore season, hopefully similarly to how he improved as a sophomore at McCutcheon.