Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO: Pushing Through -- Phinisee Takes Defensive Lead
2/29/2020 9:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- For now, for Rob Phinisee, it's defense.
Yes, you can't play point guard, as the sophomore does for Indiana, without making a big offensive impact. The position is, after all, basketball's equivalent of a quarterback.
But Phinisee is still in the offensive development stage while his defense prowess makes him an every game catalyst.
Phinisee often gets the toughest backcourt defensive assignments at the most critical of times, and likely will again on Sunday when the Hoosiers (18-10 overall, 8-9 in the Big Ten) play at Illinois (19-9, 11-6) in their road-game season finale.
Given what the road has been like for every Big Ten game, this is reason to celebrate.
Anyway, Phinisee has twice had five steals in a game, most recently in the victory over Penn State. His 24 steals are second on the team to Justin Smith's 28.
"I've very proud of his effort level defensively," coach Archie Miller says. "For where we are heading as a team, for Rob, it's about spearheading our defense and being a guy we can count on defensively."
That's crucial given IU's postseason stakes. With three games left in the regular season, victories take on added significance to boost Big Ten tourney and NCAA Tournament prospects. Indiana is No. 56 in NET ratings, a major Selection Committee factor.
Illinois is at No. 36.
"We're going to need Rob to finish strong on that end," Miller says, "because your defense starts with your perimeter pressure.
"Our pressure has been outstanding. He's a big reason why."
How outstanding? In the last three games, IU has allowed 56, 60 and 57 points.
As far as offense, Phinisee has a team-leading 72 assists. He's twice had seven assists in a game, one off the career high he had as a freshman.
Phinisee's defensive and passing prowess contrast with his scoring struggles. While he has had some light-up-the-night shooting games (see the 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting he had against Nebraska, or his 3-for-4 three-point effort in an Ohio State win), points rarely come easily, especially considering he's not a high-volume shooter (the most shots he's taken in a game this season are 12).
Scoring has been especially difficult in the last two games, when he's been 3-for-13 from the field, 1-for-8 on three-pointers. He averages 7.0 points and 2.3 rebounds. He's missed five games with injuries.
Overall, Phinisee shoots 36.7 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from three-point range, which is better than his freshman averages of 36.1 and 31.0.
For comparison, the Big Ten's best point guard, Cassius Winston of Michigan State, is at 43.2 and 40.9.
The good news is that Phinisee, a 73.9-percent free throw shooter, has two more years to work on his game.
Consider what that did for former IU point guard Yogi Ferrell. He went from shooting 40.3 and 30.3 as a freshman to 45.8 and 42.0 as a senior.
"Rob is a very willing offensive player to be aggressive, especially with his shot," Miller says. "He's a much improved shooter."
Miller plucked Phinisee out of Purdue territory (he was an all-state player at McCutcheon High School), an impressive recruiting effort that also includes landing the state's last two Mr. Basketballs (Romeo Langford and Trayce Jackson-Davis).
"From an offensive perspective," Miller says, "Rob understands that right now it's about running our team. It's about making sure we take care of the ball. He knows when he has his opportunities offensively to be aggressive, he can do that."
Indiana will need more offensive aggression from Phinisee and all the Hoosiers after so much scoring misery during Thursday night's 57-49 loss to rival Purdue. The Hoosiers shot 25 percent overall, and were just 5-for-24 from three-point range.
"You're going to have to make some open shots, some tough threes, some jumpers," Miller says.
Adding to Thursday night's woes, the guards committed what Miller calls "live-ball turnovers" that resulted in crucial Boilermaker fast-break points. That can't be repeated against a resurgent Illinois team that leads the Big Ten in rebound margin, at plus-8.9.
Under third-year coach Brad Underwood, the Illini have clinched their first winning conference record since the 2009-10 season. They have a conference-best five Big Ten road wins, and are one of 10 teams nationally with at least four Quad 1 road victories.
Stopping Illinois starts by limiting guard Ayo Dosunmu. He's scored in double figures in 12 straight games, and averages 16.4 points on 48.3-percent shooting.
In his last three games, Dosunmu has averaged 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 58.1 percent from the field.
Kofi Cockburn, a 7-foot freshman center, has 12 double-doubles, including a 12-point, 14-rebound effort last week against Northwestern. He averages 13.6 points and 9.1 rebounds. He has a team-leading 34 blocks.
Guard Andres Feliz has gone from the bench to the starting lineup. He averages 10.8 points and 4.9 rebounds.
Illinois lacks a productive deep bench, but it does have a game changer in sophomore guard Alan Griffin, who lit up Northwestern for 24 points (9-for-11 shooting, seven three-pointers), seven rebounds and two assists.
He averages 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds.
As for IU, it has spent the season bouncing back from disappointing performances. It remains focused on the big picture.
"It's been a grind," Miller says. "We are down the homestretch. We have to keep pushing through."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- For now, for Rob Phinisee, it's defense.
Yes, you can't play point guard, as the sophomore does for Indiana, without making a big offensive impact. The position is, after all, basketball's equivalent of a quarterback.
But Phinisee is still in the offensive development stage while his defense prowess makes him an every game catalyst.
Phinisee often gets the toughest backcourt defensive assignments at the most critical of times, and likely will again on Sunday when the Hoosiers (18-10 overall, 8-9 in the Big Ten) play at Illinois (19-9, 11-6) in their road-game season finale.
Given what the road has been like for every Big Ten game, this is reason to celebrate.
Anyway, Phinisee has twice had five steals in a game, most recently in the victory over Penn State. His 24 steals are second on the team to Justin Smith's 28.
"I've very proud of his effort level defensively," coach Archie Miller says. "For where we are heading as a team, for Rob, it's about spearheading our defense and being a guy we can count on defensively."
That's crucial given IU's postseason stakes. With three games left in the regular season, victories take on added significance to boost Big Ten tourney and NCAA Tournament prospects. Indiana is No. 56 in NET ratings, a major Selection Committee factor.
Illinois is at No. 36.
"We're going to need Rob to finish strong on that end," Miller says, "because your defense starts with your perimeter pressure.
"Our pressure has been outstanding. He's a big reason why."
How outstanding? In the last three games, IU has allowed 56, 60 and 57 points.
As far as offense, Phinisee has a team-leading 72 assists. He's twice had seven assists in a game, one off the career high he had as a freshman.
Phinisee's defensive and passing prowess contrast with his scoring struggles. While he has had some light-up-the-night shooting games (see the 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting he had against Nebraska, or his 3-for-4 three-point effort in an Ohio State win), points rarely come easily, especially considering he's not a high-volume shooter (the most shots he's taken in a game this season are 12).
Scoring has been especially difficult in the last two games, when he's been 3-for-13 from the field, 1-for-8 on three-pointers. He averages 7.0 points and 2.3 rebounds. He's missed five games with injuries.
Overall, Phinisee shoots 36.7 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from three-point range, which is better than his freshman averages of 36.1 and 31.0.
For comparison, the Big Ten's best point guard, Cassius Winston of Michigan State, is at 43.2 and 40.9.
The good news is that Phinisee, a 73.9-percent free throw shooter, has two more years to work on his game.
Consider what that did for former IU point guard Yogi Ferrell. He went from shooting 40.3 and 30.3 as a freshman to 45.8 and 42.0 as a senior.
"Rob is a very willing offensive player to be aggressive, especially with his shot," Miller says. "He's a much improved shooter."
Miller plucked Phinisee out of Purdue territory (he was an all-state player at McCutcheon High School), an impressive recruiting effort that also includes landing the state's last two Mr. Basketballs (Romeo Langford and Trayce Jackson-Davis).
"From an offensive perspective," Miller says, "Rob understands that right now it's about running our team. It's about making sure we take care of the ball. He knows when he has his opportunities offensively to be aggressive, he can do that."
Indiana will need more offensive aggression from Phinisee and all the Hoosiers after so much scoring misery during Thursday night's 57-49 loss to rival Purdue. The Hoosiers shot 25 percent overall, and were just 5-for-24 from three-point range.
"You're going to have to make some open shots, some tough threes, some jumpers," Miller says.
Adding to Thursday night's woes, the guards committed what Miller calls "live-ball turnovers" that resulted in crucial Boilermaker fast-break points. That can't be repeated against a resurgent Illinois team that leads the Big Ten in rebound margin, at plus-8.9.
Under third-year coach Brad Underwood, the Illini have clinched their first winning conference record since the 2009-10 season. They have a conference-best five Big Ten road wins, and are one of 10 teams nationally with at least four Quad 1 road victories.
Stopping Illinois starts by limiting guard Ayo Dosunmu. He's scored in double figures in 12 straight games, and averages 16.4 points on 48.3-percent shooting.
In his last three games, Dosunmu has averaged 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 58.1 percent from the field.
Kofi Cockburn, a 7-foot freshman center, has 12 double-doubles, including a 12-point, 14-rebound effort last week against Northwestern. He averages 13.6 points and 9.1 rebounds. He has a team-leading 34 blocks.
Guard Andres Feliz has gone from the bench to the starting lineup. He averages 10.8 points and 4.9 rebounds.
Illinois lacks a productive deep bench, but it does have a game changer in sophomore guard Alan Griffin, who lit up Northwestern for 24 points (9-for-11 shooting, seven three-pointers), seven rebounds and two assists.
He averages 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds.
As for IU, it has spent the season bouncing back from disappointing performances. It remains focused on the big picture.
"It's been a grind," Miller says. "We are down the homestretch. We have to keep pushing through."
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