Indiana Basketball Player Report Card: Anthony Leal

Bloomington native Anthony Leal developed into a key defender for the Hoosiers.

Indiana's Anthony Leal (3) shoots a free throw against Ohio State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – There are a lot of changes going on with the Indiana basketball program since it was left out of the NCAA Tournament with a 19-13 record.

Coach Mike Woodson stepped down, and on Tuesday hired former West Virginia and Drake coach Darian DeVries. That puts the transfer portal and roster movement in full swing. But before we look too far ahead, Hoosiers On SI will reflect on the 2024-25 season with individual player report cards over the next few weeks.

On Thursday we discussed Trey Galloway, and next up is Anthony Leal.

Preseason expectations

Leal’s role was unclear going into the season. He played sparingly in the first half of the 2023-24 season, but he averaged 16.2 minutes off the bench in Big Ten play. He wasn’t much of a scoring threat, but made some key plays in late-season wins over Ohio State and Penn State. 

There was a world in which Leal wouldn’t get many minutes as a fifth-year senior in 2024-25 as Indiana returned Trey Galloway, Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton, and added Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, Bryson Tucker and Luke Goode. Someone would have to be the odd man left out, and Leal hadn’t averaged more than 15 minutes in any of his first four seasons.

How the season went

Leal missed the season opener due to injury and was out of the rotation early on. He didn’t see the floor until Indiana’s fifth game of the season against Louisville, and he played just five minutes during the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Leal’s role steadily grew toward the end of nonconference play and beginning of Big Ten action, and he entered the starting lineup Jan. 17 at Ohio State. Injuries to Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton, ineffective play by Kanaan Carlyle and reliable defense by Leal all contributed to his increased minutes.

With Leal logging 31 minutes, Indiana pulled out a 77-76 overtime win at Ohio State in his first game in the starting lineup. He held onto a starting spot in Indiana’s final 14 games, averaging 28.1 minutes per game as the Hoosiers went 6-8 down the stretch. Leal put up 12 points – the second most of his career – in a home loss to Michigan, and he scored eight and six points in wins over Purdue and Penn State, respectively.

Leal finished the season averaging a career-high 3.3 points per game while shooting 57.8% from the field, 41.2% on 17 3-point attempts and 61.9% at the free throw line. But his impact was most greatly felt through contributions that do not show up in the box score. He often guarded the opponent’s best player and was a big reason for Braden Smith’s 2-for-8, six-turnover performance in Indiana’s win over Purdue. He also played at the top of Indiana’s zone, which stifled Michigan State in an upset win in East Lansing. The Hoosiers looked far more in-sync defensively when Leal was on the floor late in the season. 

“Shout out to Anthony Leal, man, he was plus-26 without scoring a point,” Goode said after Indiana’s win at Washington. “I don't know when the last time that was done in Indiana history. It just shows he's a damn good player. We all rally around each other now, and we’re doing the right things."

Leal’s Indiana career ended in disappointing fashion as Indiana went one and done in the Big Ten Tournament with a 72-59 loss to Oregon. He missed the front end of the one-and-one twice in the second half as Indiana tried to stay in the game. Indiana thought it may have done enough before that to reach the NCAA Tournament, but its season ended the following Sunday as it was left out.

Player grade 

Leal is a tough player to grade because of his contrasting strengths and weaknesses. He had a case to be on the Big Ten All-Defensive team, but opponents rarely had to worry about him scoring. It’s fair to wonder if the Hoosiers would have been more competitive in early season losses when its defense was a mess and Leal played limited minutes. There’s no denying his importance to Indiana from a leadership and defensive standpoint. He was a fan favorite who always played his hardest, and fans appreciated that. 

Grade: B-

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