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.
 | |
| No. 3 – Indiana Hoosiers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | Big Ten Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 12, 2001 Bloomington, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bloomington South (Bloomington, Indiana) |
| College | Indiana (2020–present) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
editLeal 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
editLeal 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]
| 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: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79
| ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 127 247Sports: 144 ESPN: — | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
editIn 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
edit| 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
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Indiana | 20 | 0 | 11.6 | .313 | .300 | .600 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .5 | .1 | 1.6 |
| 2021–22 | Indiana | 17 | 2 | 10.2 | .407 | .318 | .667 | 0.9 | 1.1 | .4 | .1 | 1.9 |
| 2022–23 | Indiana | 11 | 0 | 2.2 | .000 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.2 | 1.1 | .1 | .1 | 0.2 |
| 2023–24 | Indiana | 21 | 0 | 14.7 | .444 | .318 | .474 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .2 | 2.4 |
| Career | 69 | 2 | 10.7 | .389 | .352 | .655 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .9 | .3 | 1.7 |
Personal life
editLeal 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
edit- ^ "Mr. Basketball Anthony Leal well-equipped to understand expectations that await at IU". IndyStar. 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ "Next Generation: One More Goal to Go for Bloomington South's Anthony Leal". SI. March 3, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Anthony Leal Interests". 247Sports.com. November 13, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ Osterman, Zach (July 25, 2019). "Bloomington South guard Anthony Leal includes IU basketball in final 2". Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ Bozich, Alex (August 9, 2019). "2020 guard Anthony Leal commits to Indiana". Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Bozich, Alex. "2021–2022 Player Profile: Anthony Leal". Inside the Hall. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ Bozich, Alex. "That's A Wrap: Anthony Leal". Inside the Hall. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ Brockway, Kevin (November 7, 2019). "For IU commit Anthony Leal, staying home was best option". The Herald Bulletin. Retrieved April 4, 2020.