Q & A: 2018 point guard Robert Phinisee updates recruitment

  • 06/26/2017 12:37 pm in

Class of 2018 McCutcheon and Indiana Elite point guard Robert Phinisee was in Bloomington this weekend for Archie Miller’s first team camp in Bloomington.

Inside the Hall recently spoke with Phinisee, a four-star prospect, to get the latest on his recruitment, upcoming visits and more. Our complete Q & A follows:

On whether there’s anything new recruiting wise:

“Not really. Ohio State, I’m gonna visit them Monday, so that’s all right now.”

On whether Ohio State was involved prior to the coaching change in Columbus:

“Yeah they were. I was gonna visit them sometime in June. With the coaching change, I’m still just gonna visit. Nothing’s really changed that much.”

On the contact level from the IU coaching staff:

“Oh yea, it’s a lot. Probably, maybe five times a week. Coach (Bruiser) Flint and coach (Archie) Miller. It’s pretty frequent.”

On a timetable to cut his list:

“I’d say definitely after July, the live period. Maybe sometime in August or September, so I’ll see how things are.”

On the schools expressing the most interest besides Indiana:

“Purdue — the Butler coaching staff hasn’t reached out to me yet — but Virginia, and Ohio State, are pretty frequent.”

On if he plans to take official visits beginning in the fall:

“Yeah, after July I’m gonna talk with my mom and see if any new schools are in, see what we can do and see where I’ll set my five officials.”

On how much Indiana will watch him in July:

“They say they’re gonna try to have somebody at my game, every single game in July. We’ll see how it goes.”

On what he wants to get out of the next couple of months:

“Really just improving my game. Keep getting in the weight room, keep getting stronger and just doing everything so I can be ready for the next level.”

On the message from the IU coaching staff:

“They say (Josh) Newkirk, that’s their only pure point. Then they have the 2017 class coming in. They want a guard in 2018 to come in and run the team. That’s their message.”

On what schools he’s visited multiple times besides Indiana:

“Purdue, Butler multiple times, and then Ohio State, I went to a game this season, and then Xavier and Louisville.”

On what he likes about Virginia:

“Just the coaching staff. When I went and visited them — I visited them in October — just the coaching staff, I know they’re a great program, been one of the top teams in the ACC the last two or three years. I have a good relationship with coach (Tony) Bennett and coach (Brad) Soderberg, so I like them a lot.”

On what he’ll be looking for in a school:

“If I do go far away from home, how comfortable I am with the players, the coaching staff and just everybody around the basketball program. Just player development, and just really, making me a better person.”

On what his conversations with the IU coaching staff are like:

“Mostly about basketball, but it’s really just building a relationship. Seeing how I am as a kid, that’s what they want to see, so if I do go there, they know how good of a kid I am. Just really building a relationship. That’s the main thing.”

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