Following Isaiah Thompson's decision to enter the transfer portal and Eric Hunter Jr.'s inevitable departure from the program, Purdue basketball finds itself in desperate need of a point guard entering the 2022-23 season.
The Boilermakers will welcome 3-star recruit Braden Smith from Westfield High School to campus as part of the team's 2022 recruiting class, giving coach Matt Painter at least one ball-handler for the upcoming year.
But the team will likely need to take a dive into the transfer portal in order to circumvent the massive hole at the position, and according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Purdue is showing interest in Indiana transfer Rob Phinisee.
Purdue wasn't the only Big Ten team showing interest in Phinisee, as Ohio State and Iowa are reportedly in the mix, too.
Phinisee, who announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on Friday, March 25, spent the last four seasons with the Hoosiers. He was a four-star prospect out of Mccutcheon High School in Lafayette, Indiana, as part of the 2018 recruiting class.
The 6-foot-1 point guard garnered offers from a handful of programs, including Purdue. But he chose to enroll at Indiana back in September of 2018 over the likes of Ohio State, Virginia, Butler, Georgia and Xavier.
Phinisee was an instant starter as a freshman for then-Hoosiers head coach Archie Miller. And in four seasons with the program, he averaged 6.5 points, 2.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.
During the 2021-22 season under first-year coach Mike Woodson, Phinisee was relegated to a role coming off the bench. He logged 18.3 minutes per contest — the lowest of his college career — while posting just 4.5 points per game on the year.
However, Phinisee played a key role in Indiana's 68-65 victory over Purdue on Jan. 20 inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. He recorded a career-high 20 points on 8-13 shooting which included a last-second shot from the 3-point line to take the lead and win the game. The Boilermakers were ranked No. 4 in the country at the time.
It was the Hoosiers' first victory over their bitter in-state rival in six years, but Phinisee struggled to repeat the success for the rest of the season. He failed to score in double figures in Indiana's final 10 contests and didn't record a point over his last three games.
Phinisee, who entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, is now looking for a change in scenery for his fifth and final season. He's a player that Painter has openly praised after the Boilermakers' clashes against the Hoosiers.
As of now, Purdue basketball doesn't have any scholarship players returning to the team that will hold senior status for the 2022-23 season. Phinisee would offer the team considerable experience against Big Ten competition, should he choose to join the Boilermakers.
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