BLOOMINGTON — Anthony Leal grew up in Bloomington, right down the road from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. He was named Mr. Basketball in 2020 while playing for Bloomington High School South.
He’s lived out the dreams of so many boys growing up in Bloomington, by getting a scholarship to play for IU. And though his Hoosiers career has been a bumpy ride, he’s finally taken those dreams one step further in his fifth and final season: he’s become a key player and a fan favorite.
Leal entered head coach Mike Woodson’s starting lineup in mid-January at Ohio State, and he’s started every game since. The guard had started just twice in his entire career before this season, and he’d played 20 minutes or more in only nine games before this season.
He’s now started nine straight games, and he will surely do so for the rest of Indiana’s season. During lineup introductions before each of his four starts at home, Leal has drawn — by far — the loudest cheers from the crowd. And he’s equally appreciated by his peers.
“I think Anthony is one of the best teammates I’ve ever played with,” Luke Goode said in December after IU’s win over Sam Houston State. “He is put in tough positions all the time. Being in the lineup, out of the lineup, being called on last year and making big plays. I remember sitting in the living room and watching him come in for that three-game stretch and literally winning the game for the team all three games. When you have a guy like that that you can depend on that’s so selfless to take a step back and not get minutes and still be a great teammate … it’s special.”
Leal has become a cliche “glue guy” for the Hoosiers, and his performance during their upset win over No. 13 Purdue on Sunday was one of the best examples of that.
He filled up the box score, with eight points on 3-for-4 shooting, five rebounds, four assists with no turnovers, two blocks, and three steals. The guard is never one to post huge numbers, but that stat line encapsulates Leal at his best: doing a little bit of everything, and just being an impactful player on both ends of the court.
Leal played strong defense all game, particularly in the second half. He, along with Myles Rice and Trey Galloway, did a great job of limiting Purdue star Braden Smith. But Leal, in particular, just made things happen on Sunday, especially defensively.
“He’s been huge,” Woodson said after the game. “You expect that. Anthony has been around me a while, and he’s gone through a lot with me. We didn’t play him a whole lot because I just didn’t play him. But he never quit working, and that’s a testament to him in terms of how he approaches the game and now he’s getting an opportunity to play and he’s making the most of it. You expect that from seniors. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Leal has stood out for his intangibles as Indiana’s season has gone along.
While the Hoosiers slogged through the middle of their Big Ten schedule, Leal was one of their only players who consistently played with the pride and effort the IU uniform requires. His game centers around things like getting back on defense, laying out for loose balls, and just generally hustling and playing hard.
Leal, on multiple occasions during conference play, has hustled back after a turnover and stood up for IU in a 2-on-1 or 3-on-1 situation. His teammates had already checked out on the play, but he kept playing and fouled an opponent with a wide-open layup, forcing them to earn the points at the free-throw line. Those sorts of things don’t show up on the stat sheet, but they can say everything about a player’s attitude and mindset.
There have been too many times this season when IU players appeared disinterested through lackluster effort. But nobody can question whether or not Anthony Leal cares. He’s not perfect, but he gives the Hoosiers everything he has. And after waiting a long time to get his shot at starting for his hometown team, he’s become an integral player and an embodiment of an IU squad that’s still fighting hard.
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