anthony-leal-committed

The Indiana basketball program has landed their second recruit of the 2020 class. The number one player from Indiana, Anthony Leal, has announced his commitment to the Indiana Hoosiers on his Twitter and Instagram pages today. The four-star shooting guard from Bloomington High School South, located minutes away from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, selected Indiana after announcing a final two schools of Indiana and Stanford.

The Hoosiers add a much needed shooter that stands 6-foot-5 and currently has a listed weight of around 195 pounds. Anthony Leal provides the Hoosiers with shooting, ability to finish at the rim, and another serviceable wing option in certain line-ups on the floor.

Anthony Leal is currently the highest rated player in the state of Indiana for the 2020 class and overall Leal sits in the top-100 according to his 247Sports Composite rankings. Growing up in Bloomington, he has visited a number of games at Assembly Hall growing up, including multiple games in the past few seasons as a recruiting target. With the addition of Leal to the roster, Indiana has moved up to number 14 in the 2020 team recruiting rankings.

He joins fellow in-state player and AAU teammate Trey Galloway as part of the two-player 2020 recruiting class so far. Leal and Galloway ranked first and second in the state of Indiana for the 2020 class respectively. The Hoosiers have to be optimistic about landing three consecutive Indiana Mr. Basketball award winners for the first time in program history: Romeo Langford (2017), Trayce Jackson-Davis (2018), and potentially Anthony Leal or Trey Galloway (2019).

Future teammate Trey Galloway mentioned that convincing Anthony Leal to join the Hoosiers was a big part of his immediate plan after his own commitment to Archie Miller. Galloway wanted to become the first recruit of the 2020 class, so that he could begin talking to other players and other recruits.

It seems like his first mission with the Cream and Crimson has been completed successfully.

Inside-Out Recruiting Streak Continues

The borders around the state have been locked down as Archie Miller has essentially had his pick of the talent from the state. The Hoosiers to continue to make impressive strides within the state of Indiana, despite letting go of one of their most important recruiting assets for Indiana in Ed Schilling. Indiana basketball has now recruited eight players from the state of Indiana since Archie Miller has taken over, and all of them have been rated as four-stars or higher.

  • Damezi Anderson (4-star)
  • Rob Phinisee (4-star)
  • Romeo Langford (5-star, 2018 Indiana Mr. Basketball)
  • Armaan Franklin (4-star)
  • Trayce Jackson-Davis (5-star, 2019 Indiana Mr. Basketball)
  • Joey Brunk (4-star, graduate transfer)
  • Trey Galloway (4-star)
  • Anthony Leal (4-star)

Indiana currently still has two open scholarships for this upcoming season, and two open slots for the 2020-2021 group.

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You can find the latest updated scholarships information here.

Breaking Down Anthony Leal’s Game

Anthony Leal is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard that has had high major interest because of his ability to make bucket from the perimeter in conjunction with his arsenal of moves to finish at the rim. Leal is a right-handed shooter, but he finishes with both hands on layups and drives. In fact if you only watched his penetrations, it would be very difficult to determine which hand he prefers.

Offensively speaking, Anthony Leal is a deep threat that has been improving his shooting rate over the past several seasons. No one understands the need for another shooter better than head coach Archie Miller, and that is exactly what he has added in Anthony Leal. Leal has a high-release shot that leaves his hands above his head, and he will often pair a “stop-and-go” step-back move prior to his shot.

Like Galloway, Leal’s drives to the rim are generally characterized by a ball-protected drive and a shot off of the glass that can come at a variety of angles. The guard drives low and close to the floor, making it difficult for defenders to strip away the rock. At the rim, Leal has enough athleticism to contort and bend his body while shooting with his outside hand. This move includes a shoulder dip and outside shot that creates the necessary separation between him and the rim protectors.

The 195-pound Indiana native is an aggressive two-way player that can cover a number of positions given his height and wing span. Leal has been one of the taller players, especially in high school games, so he has experience guarding positions anywhere from 1 through 4.

Leal guards with a very low center of gravity and he has good lateral speed with his sliding feet in order to prevent penetration towards the rim. Because Anthony can move quickly and shift his feet, he is very effective on the help-side. He has an above-average understanding of defensive positioning and when it’s appropriate to leave his assignments and support teammates in the lane.