Anthony Leal
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 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bloomington South (Bloomington, Indiana) |
| College | Indiana (2020–present) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
Leal attended Bloomington South High School, 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]
| 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: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 127 247Sports: 144 ESPN: — | ||||||
Sources:
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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 plays basketball for DePauw University. Of course, with IU being such a dominant force in his upbringing, that played a major factor in his decision to be the next player from Bloomington to don the candy stripes since Jordan Hulls. Leal said 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.[6]
References
- "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.
- Brockway, Kevin (November 7, 2019). "For IU commit Anthony Leal, staying home was best option". The Herald Bulletin. Retrieved April 4, 2020.