Indiana basketball player preview: Anthony Leal

Anthony Leal’s minutes have dwindled as his career has gone on in Bloomington, but you can’t underestimate his value to the whole of the team off the court.

First, it’s important to note that Leal is From Here. As in, Bloomington. He was named Mr. Basketball following his senior season at Bloomington South High School where his 1,620 points scored are the most all-time.

Averaging 18.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game will usually result in some hardware, and Leal secured the most coveted award in the state. His commitment to Indiana as a four-star in 2020 made him the program’s second consecutive Indiana Mr. Basketball after Trayce Jackson-Davis joined the previous year.

He elected to stay on board following the firing of Archie Miller and the hiring of Mike Woodson. He’s made headlines for putting his NIL earnings toward positive causes, such as paying off his sister’s student loans in full.

It’s obvious how much Leal means to his teammates, they’re usually together off the court and his reactions to winning plays from the bench create highlight moments in and of themselves.

At Hoosier Hysteria, Leal hit a halfcourt, competition winning shot and proceeded to be mobbed by his teammates afterward.

Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Make no mistake, Leal will find a way to impact this team this year.