HIGH SCHOOL

IU, Purdue target Robert Phinisee taking his time

Kyle Neddenriep
IndyStar
McCutcheon's Robert Phinisee opened eyes during his sophomore season.

Just as the state’s high school basketball fans got to know New Albany super sophomore Romeo Langford during last season’s state tournament run, so too did they get the chance to see McCutcheon sophomore Robert Phinisee on a big stage.

Langford and New Albany beat Phinisee and McCutcheon 62-59 in the Class 4A state finals five weeks ago at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. That may have just been the appetizer to a potential rivalry over the next two years.

“A lot of people have been talking that we could see them again for the next two years,” Phinisee said. “It’d be great to make it back to the state championship and see them again.”

While Phinisee may not have the national cache of Langford (not many do), he is a sought-after prospect in the 2018 class. The 6-foot point guard, who is playing this weekend locally at the Adidas May Classic with his Indiana Elite team, averaged 19.0 points, 6.2 assists and 3.3 steals as a sophomore at McCutcheon.

Phinisee, who has offers from Indiana and Purdue, shares the same poker-face demeanor as Langford. He said that wasn’t necessarily the case before the state championship game.

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“Watching the 3A game, I was pretty nervous,” he said. “But once we got to tipoff, I calmed down. I was a lot more nervous watching than I was playing.”

Phinisee joked that Langford had a “quiet 29 points” in the state title game. The 6-4 Langford averaged 30.2 points and 9.1 rebounds as a sophomore for New Albany.

“We tried to deny him the ball, but he’s such a great player that he’s going to get his points,” Phinisee said. “We tried to limit him as much as we could.”

Before his junior year, Phinisee is focused on getting stronger and more explosive. He said he’d also like to improve an outside shot that was inconsistent last season. He shot 33 percent (47-for-141) from the 3-point line overall but just 11-for-44 in the final 13 games.

“It was either on or off during the season,” he said of his shot. “I have to get more consistent with my shot. But I feel like I did a pretty good job overall.”

Indiana and Purdue coaches were courtside to see Phinisee on multiple occasions during the two evaluation periods in April. With a point guard right there in its backyard, Purdue is making Phinisee a major priority. Butler and Xavier haven’t offered yet but have also been tracking him heavily.

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Phinisee said Purdue doesn’t necessarily have an advantage in his recruitment despite the proximity.

“I’d say maybe a little bit (of an advantage), but I’m going to make the best decision I can,” he said. “I wouldn’t say they are the front-runner because I don’t really have a front-runner. I’m looking for a team where I can play right away and I also want to win. I just talked to (Purdue assistant Jack Owens) this week and he told me they don’t want to take me for granted. They are going to recruit me really hard.”

Phinisee’s older brother, Charles, will attend Purdue next year as a student. Charles, a 6-1 forward, played a blue-collar role for McCutcheon’s team as a senior but tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for a third time in high school during the state championship game.

“Two days after the game, he was walking,” Robert said. “I didn’t think he tore it. But it was tough to see him go down. It actually impacted the game a lot. He’s one of our best defenders and rebounders. It takes away so many things.”

Phinisee said he doesn’t plan to make a college commitment “anytime soon.” He’ll likely visit Xavier in June but hasn’t yet set a date.

Call IndyStar reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.