BROADCASTS.com

b'Rob Phinisee has had an interesting, and in may ways contradictory, three years in Bloomington.

\\u2022 He arrived as a headline member of one of the most celebrated IU recruiting classes of the post-Knight era \\u2026 but is now the only one left and still hasn\\u2019t played in an NCAA Tournament game.
\\u2022 He burst onto the scene as a freshman point guard with the kind of production that gave IU fans dreams of the next Yogi \\u2026 but has struggled to recapture that efficiency and consistency since.
\\u2022 He\\u2019s earned a reputation as a clutch shooter with a handful of memorable shots that decided games \\u2026 but has been a part of three straight backcourts that notoriously couldn\\u2019t shoot the ball well enough to space the floor for talented interior scorers.
\\u2022 His IU teams have struggled to just get their head above water in Big Ten play \\u2026 but notched three straight wins against top-10 Michigan State teams.

It hasn\\u2019t really made a lot of sense.

But what does seem to make sense, at least IU fans hope, is that Rob and the entire IU program will have a chance to be reborn under the direction of a new staff and with a rebuilt roster.

In this wide-ranging conversation with Rob we discuss the many contradictory elements of his time at IU and look forward to what his fourth season may bring. Among the topics we get into:

\\u2022 How he\\u2019s approaching his option to play a fifth year
\\u2022 That time he scored 50 points in a high school game \\u2026 and could have scored more
\\u2022 Why he chose to leave Lafayette for Bloomington
\\u2022 What Indiana needs to do to finally beat Purdue again
\\u2022 The ups and downs of the Marquette and Arkansas games freshman year
\\u2022 The game-winner against Butler and the anointing of \\u201cBig Shot Rob\\u201d
\\u2022 Hypotheses for why he\\u2019s been able to come through more consistently in clutch situations than regular ones
\\u2022 The ongoing relationship he developed with the young man who wrote him a letter after the Butler game
\\u2022 What guarding Cassius Winston was like
\\u2022 The toughest players he\\u2019s had to guard (his final answer on this one will stun you)
\\u2022 What he learned about the impact of crowds during the COVID season
\\u2022 What the experience of playing for Archie Miller was like
\\u2022 The role does he expect to play this season
\\u2022 What will be different about Indiana\\u2019s defensive approach this season
\\u2022 What he wants to do after his basketball playing career is over

And so much more. We cover a ton while reliving some of his most memorable moments as a Hoosier.'