Indiana's Rob Phinisee: Plantar Fasciitis Injury 'Has Been a Lingering Problem'

Indiana senior guard Rob Phinisee said he his getting treatment for his injured right foot, but there is no timetable yet for his return. He talked about the injury and his game-winning shot against Purdue along with teammate Xavier Johnson during Tuesday night's "Point Guard Podcast.''

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana guard Rob Phinisee talked about his foot injury for the first time on Tuesday night, saying during the "Point Guard Podcast'' on HoosiersNow.com that the plantar fasciitis issue in his right foot has been a lingering issue, and he aggravated it during Indiana's win against Penn State last Wednesday.

"It's getting better each day,'' Phinisee said during the 30-minute online podcast on Sports Illustrated Indiana. "I just started rehabbing on Saturday, so it's just really taking it day by day. It's just about keeping the faith, and I know I'll be back playing down the road.''

Phinisee is in a boot, and using a scooter to get around — for now. "I like it,'' he said with a laugh. "The scooter gets me around a lot faster.''

Phinisee said he hurt the foot just planting it on a defensive play. 

"It happened when (Penn State's Jaden) Pickett was driving to the lane and on the initial bump when I planted my foot, I sort of reaggravated it,'' said Phinisee, the senior from Lafayette, Ind. "I've been dealing with it for a minute, so I just reaggravated it. It's been something I've been dealing with for a while.''

Phinisee is getting a lot of treatment now, but it's still unsure when he will return. It might be a while.

"There's not really a specific timetable,'' he said. "I'm just taking it day by day and I'm doing more without my boot now. It's just a day-to-day thing.''

Indiana guard Rob Phinisee needed a scooter to get around the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md., on Saturday. 

• UPDATE: On Friday, Indiana coach Mike Woodson was asked about Phinisee's status for the Illinois game on Saturday. Here was his comment: "No, Rob will not be available. To be honest, I don't know when Rob is coming back for a while. He's got a plantar fasciitis problem. And we've got to nurse him back. So, next man up. He won't be back for this game.''

Phinisee and Xavier Johnson talked about the win over Purdue during the podcast, plus the emotional win at Maryland, on bouncing back after a loss and on continuing to improve and get more comfortable as a team.

Here are the highlights of the podcast with Phinisee and Johnson:

— Rob Phinisee on the Purdue game-winner

"Me finally being my senior year and just playing the way I did, I'll always remember that. Hitting that last shot in the corner is really big and after the game with them rushing the court, that was the first time that ever happened, so that was pretty exciting, too.''

"Just them lifting me up, it was just fun and exciting, just in the way it affected the IU community.

"Just being Woodson's first year and all the hype, it was huge. I didn't have a problem with them storming the court. Now we've just got to keep beating Purdue. I saw the replay on TV and the screenshot of him with shot. That was great. It was important for IU as a whole to beat Purdue.''

— Xavier Johnson on beating Purdue

"That was the greatest atmosphere I've ever been a part of. I can't even describe that moment, It was the best I've ever seen. It was a team effort that night, and all the little things showed. Trey Galloway was a big reason why we won that game. He guarded their best offensive player (Jaden Ivey) and he guarded him most of the game. Everybody bought in to coach's scouting report and it all came together.

"I've never been on a court that's been stormed before. I don't want to be on it against, to be honest. I'll win a lot more big games, but it was hot out there and there were a lot of elbows being thrown. I kept say, I've got to get to the locker room.''

— Xavier Johnson on Woodson's happiness

"Coach loves this. When it's time to get serious, he does. But it's all fun and games when we win. He's enjoying the wins too. 

— Rob Phinisee on Johnson's hot streak

"He's getting a lot more comfortable. Teams were guarding him a certain way, but he's adjusting. As time goes, we're getting better and better. Everybody's on the same page.

— Rob Phiniseee on the loss to Michigan

"I feel like they jumped on us from the start. They were running the offensive with a lot of pace and they were hard to guard. We didn't do a very good job of defending them.''

— Xavier Johnson on bouncing back against Penn State

"It was important for us. This team, everybody's in the same page and everybody is resilient. We talk about how we haven't lost two games in a row this year. That's important to us.

"Usually it's on the defensive side of the ball, when it comes to fixing things. Once we learned, we just practiced it a lot and things get better.''

Xavier Johnson had a happy homecoming at Maryland, winning a big game in front of family and friends. He grew up 30 miles away in Woodbridge, Va

— Xavier Johnson on improved play

"I'm learning a lot about this team. It's been eight months, and we're still learning, getting guys in the right spots and where they are on the floor. It just comes from watching a lot of film and getting used to my teammates. It's a lot better now.

"It's a lot of film being watched, and being better on the floor. Coach has a lot to do with that, and we've all been gettin up a lot of shots and getting better.''

— Xavier Johnson on happy homecoming

"It was big for them, especially after I'm actually playing better. My mom and dad, they really are the backbone to my game. I really wanted to take both of them back on the plane with me, but I just couldn't. I knew how important that game was for us, and being 30 minutes and didn't want to hear about anybody in my ear about Maryland beating us. It was good to get a win and get up out of there.''

— Xavier Johnson on Big Ten race

"That's one of the things we always talked about. Coach said we're going to be Big Ten champions., I know we've got a long way to go, but we've just got to stay locked in and be ready.

"The teams we've beaten (Ohio State and Purdue) are two of the best teams in the league, and we do have confidence. We do think we can beat anybody in the country.''

— Xavier Johnson on Illinois

"We're putting all our focus on them. We've watched a lot of film and we've been working on their actions. We'll have our legs, and we'll be ready. We're going to compete.

"It's an early game, and I like playing at 12, it's not bad, not like 9 or 10 or anything. We'll be ready to go.'

— Rob Phinisee on the week off

"It's great. The season is super long, so just having those days off is great, just to have some free time and get away from basketball a little. It helps us get ready for Illinois and help us compete. We'll be ready.

"I feel like they always play really hard, and they're always a good team. They're competitive. They've got big Kofi, but if we can shut him down, we'll be in a good position to win.''

Watch the entire 'Point Guard Podcast' episode

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