In the lone preseason game for IU men’s basketball tomorrow night, the team will be without its starting backcourt. IU head coach Archie Miller announced Monday sophomore guard Rob Phinisee and senior guard Devonte Green will be sitting out against Gannon University due to injuries.
Miller mentioned that Phinisee is dealing with a lower abdominal injury, and Green has a hamstring injury. Green has been in and out of practices, and Phinisee hasn’t participated much in the month of October.
“Both guys are very, very important to what we're doing,” Miller said. “Erring on the side of caution here in October is the smart thing to do. We'll have some other guys hopefully that will have the ability to step in and get some minutes.”
Last season, the duo combined for 16.2 points per game and 179 total assists. Neither player participated in Hoosier Hysteria or the secret scrimmage against Marquette University. With both sitting out, junior guard Al Durham and freshman guard Armaan Franklin will see the majority of ball-handling duties.
Franklin led IU with 14 points against Marquette off the bench. Miller said he believes he’s going to play a large role going forward.
“Armaan is really important in what we're doing,” Miller said. “He's had to handle a significant amount of repetitions in practice. He's ahead of schedule in terms of his learning curve. He's a smart guy; he's very coachable.”
