Anthony Leal
No. 3 Indiana Hoosiers
PositionShooting guard
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2001-05-12) May 12, 2001
Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolBloomington South
(Bloomington, Indiana)
CollegeIndiana (2020–present)
Career highlights and awards

Anthony Leal (born May 12, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Indiana Hoosiers of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for Bloomington South and was ranked as the third best player in the state of Indiana for the class of 2020.

High school career

Leal attended Bloomington High School South, where he finished his senior season averaging 18.5 points and as the all-time leading scorer in the school's history. He helped the Panthers to an undefeated regular season and a No. 1 ranking in the state of Indiana. His team was poised to make a run as the favorite for the state title in Class 4A; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the postseason tournament was canceled. Despite not winning the state championship, Leal still captured the honor of 2020 Indiana Mr. Basketball.[1] During the off-seasons, Leal played in the AAU circuit on team Indiana Elite. There he was able to build a relationship with future IU teammates, Trey Galloway and Khristian Lander.[2]

Recruiting

Leal was recruited in high school by numerous schools, including scholarship offers from in-state schools Indiana, Butler, and out-of-state, Big Ten schools Iowa, Maryland, and Northwestern alongside Stanford.[3] Leal announced a top two of Indiana and Stanford on July 25, 2019.[4] On August 9, 2019, Leal announced his commitment to Indiana.[5]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Anthony Leal
SG
Bloomington, IN Bloomington South (IN) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Aug 9, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 127  247Sports: 144  ESPN:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Indiana 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  • "2020 Indiana Hoosiers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020.

College career

In his first year with the Hoosiers, the 2020–21 season, Leal took a minor role in Indiana's rotation. With stand-outs Al Durham Jr. and Armaan Franklin ahead of him in the rotation, Leal played 15 or more minutes in just six games. Over 20 games, he shot just 30 percent from distance on 30 attempts. But Leal also showed his long-term potential. In a double-overtime loss at Wisconsin in January, Leal scored nine points and helped push the game to double overtime. Leal also scored six points, with four rebounds and three steals in 15 minutes in a 67-65 upset win over Iowa in February.[6]

In his second year with the Hoosiers, the 2021–22 season, Leal stated, "I want everybody to know that I'm here for the school and for the program and for this jersey. No matter who the coaches are or who my teammates are, I'm here and I'm here to win. That's the ultimate goal."[6] He saw about the same number of minutes as he did his first season. In games against Nebraska, Wisconsin, Merrimack, Notre Dame, and Northern Kentucky, Leal logged 15.2 minutes per game, but he took only 10 shots over those five games, making three of his attempts. Despite declining playing time that year, Leal tweeted after the season ended, "Look up, not out. Beyond blessed that God allows me to wear INDIANA across my chest. Back to work for next season."[7]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Indiana 20011.6.313.300.6001.41.0.5.11.6
2021–22 Indiana 17210.2.407.318.6670.91.1.4.11.9
Career 37210.9.356.308.6361.21.0.4.11.8

Personal life

Leal is the son of Martin and Sherry Leal, both of whom work for the IU Foundation. Leal also has an older sister, Lauren, who played basketball for DePauw University. With IU such a dominant force in his upbringing, that played a major factor in his decision to be the next Hoosier player from Bloomington. Leal said Jordan Hulls was the player he looked up to most as a young teen going to games at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, stating, "Those teams were really special to watch, and it was awesome to see how they brought Hoosier Nation together. I hope that, hopefully, the team I’m on at IU can do the same." The two natives now share a bond, where Hulls is now serving as a mentor to Leal. Leal states that Hulls has offered advice, including how to deal with the pressures of being a hometown star going to IU.[8]

References

  1. "Mr. Basketball Anthony Leal well-equipped to understand expectations that await at IU". IndyStar. 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  2. "Next Generation: One More Goal to Go for Bloomington South's Anthony Leal". SI. March 3, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  3. "Anthony Leal Interests". 247Sports.com. November 13, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  4. Osterman, Zach (July 25, 2019). "Bloomington South guard Anthony Leal includes IU basketball in final 2". Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  5. Bozich, Alex (August 9, 2019). "2020 guard Anthony Leal commits to Indiana". Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Bozich, Alex. "2021-2022 Player Profile: Anthony Leal". Inside the Hall. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  7. Bozich, Alex. "That's A Wrap: Anthony Leal". Inside the Hall. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  8. Brockway, Kevin (November 7, 2019). "For IU commit Anthony Leal, staying home was best option". The Herald Bulletin. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
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