Rob Phinisee's Injury Creates Intrigue At Point Guard for Indiana

Indiana senior guard Rob Phinisee suffered a foot injury on Wednesday, and has plantar fasciitis. He will miss Saturday's game at Maryland, and with Khristian Lander still ailing, coach Mike Woodson may have to look for alternatives at the point guard spot behind Xavier Johnson.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Indiana coach Mike Woodson confirmed on Friday that senior guard Rob Phinisee won't be available for the Hoosiers' game at Maryland on Saturday. He's out indefinitely with a foot injury, and it sets up several interesting scenarios to best deal with his absence.

Phinisee got hurt in the first half of Indiana's win over Penn State on Wednesday night and needed assistance getting to the locker room. He did not return. He's out or Saturday, and it's next man up.

Indiana guard Rob Phinisee (1) injured his foot on Wednesday against Penn State and is now out indefinitely. (Photos courtesy of IU Athletics)

But we have no idea who that ''next man'' will be. If at all

"He's not going to play (Saturday), and it could possibly be day-to-day,'' Woodson said in a brief interview before the team left for Maryland. "We don't really know the extent of it. He has plantar fasciitis, and he's not playing (Saturday). I wish I had him, but it's next man up.''

Or is it? Woodson said that sophomore Khristian Lander is next in line to come in for starting point guard Xavier Johnson, but Lander isn't not healthy either and has only played in eight of the Hoosiers' 20 games thus far. He hasn't seen the floor since Dec. 22. Woodson mentioned that he had leg soreness a few weeks ago, but he has dressed the last several games, without playing.

"Khristian might be available some (Saturday) with limited minutes,'' he said. "We'll know more when we get up in the morning, and if that's the case, he'll relieve him some.''

Johnson, the transfer from Pittsburgh, has played well in the last month, and in the past three games, he's averaging 17.0 points, 4.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds, and he's had only five total turnovers in 100 minutes of playing time.

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He might see even more playing time on Saturday, Woodson said. Whatever it takes to win, he said, even if that means Johnson never leaves the floor.

"I don't go into the game worrying about how many minutes (players get),'' Woodson said. "I coach based on how guys are playing. It's a feel. If he's got to go 40 minutes, we'll play him 40 minutes.''

If Lander can't go, sophomore Trey Galloway and freshman Tamar "Scoop'' Bates could be pressed into duty. Both played point guard in high school. Galloway has been playing well since returning from wrist surgery on Jan. 6, missing six weeks after fracturing his wrist against St. John's on Nov. 17

"I can play Gallo some, and Scoop might have to play some (point guard) too,'' Woodson said. "I just don't look at positions like that anymore. Everybody has got to pitch in and do their part based on who's out. It's just that simple.

"I thought (Bates) played great our last game, and the last few games he's played really well. The bottom line is when you're shorthanded, the guys that haven't gotten a lot of minutes, you've got to start thinking about minutes for them.''

Indiana sophomore Trey Galloway can fill in at point guard if needed. He played the point in high schoo. (Photos courtesy of IU Athletics)

Phinisee has been a key contributor off the bench for the Hoosiers. He had a career-high 20 points in the win over then No. 4 Purdue, hitting the game-winning three points with 16 seconds to go.

His productivity will be missed.

"Rob was playing anywhere from 18 to 20 minutes, so Scoop and Gallo and Anthony (Leal) might even get thrown in there,'' Woodson said. "When your name is called, you've got to be ready to play. It's just that simple.''

Indiana is catching a Maryland team that finally seems to be finding its groove. The Terrapins are just 11-9 on the season and 3-6 in the Big Ten, but they've looked good big wins over Illinois and Rutgers in the past week. Guards Fatts Russell and Eric Ayala scored 23 and 22 points respectively in the Rutgers win.

They drive this team, and Phinisee's defensive prowess will be missed. 

"That's where their strengths are, at the point guard position and the shooting guard,'' Woodson said of Maryland. "But they've got a lot of guys that play are capable of beating you off the dribble. It's a big dribble-drive team, a big isolation team, so I mean, it's no surprise. 

"We've got to defend off the dribble, and we've got to do it for 40 minutes.''

Saturday's game, which starts at 2:30 p.m., is a bit of a homecoming for Johnson, who's a Woodbridge, Va. native. Woodbridge is a Washington, D.C. suburb that's only 30 miles from College Park. He's been playing at a high level, and this is a big game for him and his Hoosier teammates, who are still in the thick of the Big Ten race. They have six league wins; leaders Wisconsin and Illinois have seven.

"Going into Maryland, I do have a lot of family down there. It's only 45 minutes from being home,'' Johnson said. "I know it's going to be a good environment overall. What's most important though is. that I'm still going to play with my team and go and win the game on the road, another one.

"Like I said, I know my level of play wasn't as good at first. I just knew I was in a slump, and I knew I was going to come out of it, and I was going to keep playing and keep getting better. I know when my dad came up here, my family came up here, I needed that because I haven't seen them for a long time, and my teammates always pick me up. We're just going to keep getting better, and I'm going to keep playing with my teammates and keep believing in them because I know they believe in me.''

Johnson has been aggressive but also more under control lately. The low turnover total is most noticable, because he had 10 games with three turnovers or more earlier this season. He's also been a stopper defensiveluy

"My game is to get downhill first. Coach told me to get downhill, make plays, and that's what I did tonight, and I made the correct reads,'' Johnson said. "Defense, that's a big part of who we are as Indiana. When we first came in, our No. 1 thing was defense. That's the first thing we worked on, and that's what got us to this point in the season of winning as many games.''

Watch Mike Woodson's pregame interview