'A True Pro': Anthony Leal's Patience, Preparation Paid Off With Game-Winner Against Penn State

Anthony Leal's playing time has been up and down across his four-year career, but he's learned the value of never wavering daily approach, preparation and mentality. Thursday's 61-59 win over Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament revealed why that's been so important for the senior guard from Bloomington.

Jack Ankony | Mar 15, 2024

'A True Pro': Anthony Leal's Patience, Preparation Paid Off With Game-Winner Against Penn State /

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Indiana Hoosiers

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Even on a last-second scramble, Anthony Leal was prepared.

As Malik Reneau drove to the basket off, Leal slipped behind Ace Baldwin Jr. and positioned himself on the right block. Reneau's running floater caromed off the rim, and Leal was there for the put-back with five seconds left.

Leal scoring on a tip-in wasn't what Indiana drew up to win the game, but he was ready for that to be the case, if needed. Leal said Indiana talks a lot about games being decided on a tip-in or rebound, so he boxed out Baldwin below the basket.

"I knew that if [Reneau] did happen to miss a shot, to go in there and try to make something happen is a possibility," Leal said. "I'm blessed I was able to do that."

Leal put the Hoosiers ahead by two points with five seconds left in the game – so close yet so far from over. Penn State's Puff Johnson got a clean look at a shot to win the game, a 3-pointer from the left wing.

"I prayed for a second that it wouldn't go in," Indiana freshman Gabe Cupps said.

"I was kind of scared," Reneau added. "It looked like it was going in."

It fell short, and jubilation ensued as the Hoosiers mobbed Leal near mid court in celebration. Indiana escaped with a gritty 61-59 win over Penn State on Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament at the Target Center in Minneapolis, its fifth win in a row dating back to Feb. 27.

Indiana Hoosiers celebrate a win over the Penn State Nittany Lions at Target Center. — Indiana Hoosiers celebrate a win over the Penn State Nittany Lions at Target Center / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Leal joined Indiana before the 2020-21 season as the reigning Indiana Mr. Basketball, but his minutes and production have perhaps been less than expected in the four years since. From his freshman to junior seasons, Leal played in 48 of Indiana's 97 games and averaged less than 12 minutes on the court in those contests. He scored just 67 points in three seasons and just two as a junior.

In an era of college basketball where entering the transfer portal with the hopes of finding a new school is so prominent, Leal stuck with it at Indiana. For a Bloomington kid, he's said there's no place he'd rather play, reiterating that during his Senior Day speech when he announced his fifth-year return for the 2024-25 season.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson has described Leal as a player that is always ready, no matter how many minutes he's playing. Though it may have been challenging to not play as much at times, Leal has grown to understand how valuable a steady approach can be to a team.

“To be that teammate where, whether you’re not playing at all or playing five minutes or 20 minutes, you’re the same guy every day, I think that brings a lot of stability," Leal said. "It gives a great example through actions that for guys who aren’t playing, you’ve got to stay ready, you’ve got to be ready and know what it takes to win. That’s all I’ve been focusing on.”

Though Cupps has been with the Hoosiers for just on season, it didn't take him long to notice Leal's personality.

"I think he trusts God's plan for him completely, and I think that's why he's able to stay positive and stay completely ready," Cupps said. "It's just because he has full trust in that whatever is happening is part of God's plan."

Reneau has been with Leal for two years now, and not much has changed in his daily approach.

"[Leal is] always ready, the first one to come in on the court getting his shots up," Reneau said. "I mean, he's constantly working and you're seeing it. He's getting results. He's a great defender. He's confident in his shot, and he really wants to win so he does whatever it takes to win. So whether that comes with playing or not, regardless of what he does, he comes ready 100%, playing hard for 40 minutes, if he's got to play 40 minutes or not. He's ready to go. So I give props to Ant, man. He's doing so well."

Woodson is coaching college now, but he spent 34 years in the NBA as a player and a coach. He knows the importance of preparation at the highest level, and compared Leal's approach to exactly that.

"We call that a pro, a true pro," Woodson said. "He has hung in there with me because he hadn't played a whole lot, but in practice he comes to work every day, and he knows everything that we're doing on both sides of the ball. So from a coaching standpoint, we feel comfortable knowing, if we throw him in there, he's not going to embarrass us, himself or our team. He's come in and given us a hell of a lift, and tonight he hits the biggest shot of his college career, the put-back. So that's beautiful for him, I think, in terms of the hard work that he's put in. I couldn't be more proud of him."

Penn State defeated Indiana in the two regular season matchups by 14 and nine points, respectively, led by point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. In the first game, Baldwin finished with 22 points, eight assists and two steals, while shooting 3-for-5 from the 3-point line. In the second, he had 23 points, nine assists, four steals and made 7-of-12 shots from the field. In both, Baldwin, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, flustered Indiana's guards as the head of Penn State's full-court press.

But in Thursday's game, Indiana won that battle. Trey Galloway missed Thursday's game with a knee injury, which forced Leal, Cupps and Xavier Johnson to pick up the slack in the back court. Cupps hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Leal made his lone attempt. The trio all contributed to Indiana's strong defensive performance against Baldwin, who made just 3-of-15 shots and committed three turnovers.

"He's hurt us the last two times we've played him, so coach Woodson and the whole coaching staff kind of challenged me and challenged X to see if we could contain him," Cupps said. "I thought our ball-screen coverage was a little bit different, so I think that helped a little bit ... I thought we did about as good of a job as you can."

Across 24 minutes, Leal finished with eight points and four rebounds. Indiana advances to play No. 3 seed Nebraska on Friday in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Like Penn State, Nebraska defeated Indiana in both regular season matchups. Indiana struggled in both, losing by 16 and 15 points.

But the Hoosiers have now rattled off five wins in a row, and they feel like things have finally clicked.

"I think we're coming together more as a team," Cupps said. "And I think as we're going on this win streak, we're building our confidence. Obviously there was a rough patch there in the middle of the season for us, but we stayed together and we were able to stick with each other and build confidence off of each other. I think that's really helping us now."

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