Rob Phinisee

Robert Phinisee (born October 13, 1999) is an American college basketball player for Cincinnati of the American Athletic Conference. He previously played for Indiana. He attended McCutcheon High School and was ranked as one of the highest prospects in the state of Indiana.

Rob Phinisee

No. 10 – Cincinnati Bearcats
Position	Point guard
League	American Athletic Conference
Personal information
Born	(1999-10-13) October 13, 1999 (age 24) Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	McCutcheon (Lafayette, Indiana)
College	Indiana (2018–2022) Cincinnati (2022–present)

High school career

Phinisee attended McCutcheon High School. As a freshman, Phinisee averaged 6.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. In his sophomore year, he averaged 19.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game helping the Mavericks to a 28–4 overall record and an undefeated 8–0 conference record. The team advanced to the Class 4A state championship game, where they lost 59–62 to New Albany. In his junior year, he averaged 21.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. The season ended with a state regional loss 61–68 to Carmel, resulting in a 23–3 overall record.^[1] As part of his dominant senior journey, Phinisee was able to tie the all-time scoring record at McCutcheon (set in 2002 by Avery Sheets who went on to play at Butler) when he hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first quarter in the game against Harrison on December 15, 2017. He went on to score a total of 50 points that game to make the record his own.^[2] On February 16, 2018 Phinisee and his teammates clinched the North Central Conference title (eventually going 9–0). Phinisee scored 34 points against Muncie Central, despite a broken nose.^[3] The season came to an early close with a loss against Zionsville's Eagles, 50–60, leaving the Mavericks with an overall record of 20–5. Phinisee scored 33 points, bringing his total to 2,023.^[4] He averaged 29.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.

Recruiting

Phinisee was recruited in high school by numerous high profile schools, including scholarship offers from in-state schools Indiana, Purdue, and Butler, and out-of-state schools Georgetown, Virginia, and Xavier.^[5] On August 19, 2017, Phinisee announced his commitment to Indiana.^[6]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Rob Phinisee PG	Lafayette, IN	McCutcheon (IN)	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Aug 19, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 81
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 103  247Sports: 118  ESPN: —
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Indiana 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020. "2018 Indiana Hoosiers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020.

College career

Phinisee suffered a concussion at the end of December 2018, missing three games. He averaged 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game as a freshman.^[7] He suffered an ankle injury in December 2019.^[8] Phinisee averaged 7.3 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore.^[9] As a junior, Phinisee averaged 7.1 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game.^[10] On January 20, 2022, he scored a career-high 20 points including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds left in a 68-65 victory over Purdue.^[11] On January 28, Phinisee was ruled out due to plantar fasciitis.^[12]

On April 20, 2022, Phinisee announced he was transferring to Cincinnati.^[13]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2018–19	Indiana	32	29	27.3	.361	.310	.660	3.3	2.9	1.1	0.1	6.8
2019–20	Indiana	27	16	23.2	.374	.333	.725	2.5	3.4	1.0	0.2	7.3
2020–21	Indiana	27	24	27.1	.347	.260	.638	2.3	2.9	0.8	0.4	7.1
2021–22	Indiana	25	0	18.3	.312	.264	.412	2.1	1.7	0.8	0.2	4.5
2022–23	Cincinnati	12	0	16.3	.226	.211	1.000	1.8	1.8	0.9	0.2	1.7
Career		123	69	23.4	.346	.286	.653	2.5	2.7	0.9	0.2	6.0

Personal life

Rob is the son of Tanika Phinisee and has three brothers, Alantae, Charles, and Joe. According to his brothers, who also played at McCutcheon High School, his potential began to be recognized when he played alongside Charles in the AAU. His skills and abilities led him to a spot on Indiana Elite's AAU team. ^[14]

References

1. "Robert Phinisee's Basketball Stats". MaxPreps. March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
2. King, Sam (December 15, 2017). "Phinisee breaks McCutcheon scoring record with 50-point outburst". Journal & Courier. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
3. Bozich, Alex (February 19, 2018). "Phinisee leads McCutcheon to North Central Conference title". Inside the Hall. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
4. King, Sam (March 3, 2018). "Zionsville ends McCutcheon's sectional reign". Journal & Courier. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
5. "Robert Phinisee". ESPN. November 15, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
6. Osterman, Zach (August 19, 2017). "In-state guard Robert Phinisee commits to Hoosiers". Retrieved March 8, 2018.
7. Lasley, Alec. "Indiana Basketball: Five Takeaways From The 2018-19 Season". Hoosier State of Mind. FanSided. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
8. Pegram, Mike (December 6, 2019). "Miller: Rob Phinisee 'nursing singular injury', doubtful for UW". 247Sports. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
9. Osterman, Zach (March 28, 2020). "IU basketball player review: Rob Phinisee becoming Archie Miller's ideal point guard". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
10. Brew, Tom (April 25, 2021). "Final Grades: Breaking Down Rob Phinisee's 2020-21 Season at Indiana". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
11. "Phinisee's career game leads Indiana past No. 4 Purdue 68-65". ESPN. Associated Press. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
12. Osterman, Zach (January 28, 2022). "IU's Phinisee dealing with plantar fasciitis, won't play at Maryland". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
13. Phinisee, Rob [@robphinisee1] (April 20, 2022). "Let's Work" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
14. King, Sam (2018). "McCutcheon basketball star modest to the core". Journal & Courier. Retrieved March 8, 2018.

External links

• Indiana Hoosiers bio
• Cincinnati Bearcats bio