For the better part of his first few seasons at Indiana, Anthony Leal didn’t see much playing time. After playing sparingly his first two seasons, he went nearly a full season in 2022-23 without ever seeing the court, averaging 2.2 minutes per game in 11 appearances.
It was unfamiliar territory for a guy who starred just down the road at Bloomington South High School and was named the 2020 Indiana Mr. Basketball. But now in his fifth season playing for the Hoosiers, Leal has cemented himself in the starting lineup as a defensive stalwart. If Indiana reaches the NCAA Tournament, Leal’s play this season will be a major reason why.
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Getting to this point, however, has been a grind. At times, it was difficult to reconcile his expectations for himself coming out of high school versus what was playing out in his college career. For Leal, exhibiting perseverance throughout his career has been his way to publicly demonstrate his faith in Jesus.
“We talk about it a lot as a team — be humble or be humbled,” he recently told Sports Spectrum. “I think college, my first few years, was a pretty humbling experience because I had come in with a certain set of expectations and quickly realized it’s not really about my time schedule or my expectations, but it’s God and His plan for me.”
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In the age of the transfer portal, where thousands of players switch programs each year, Leal could’ve easily left to get regular minutes elsewhere. But growing up in the shadow of IU’s Assembly Hall with parents who graduated from and worked for IU, it was always his dream to wear the cream and crimson. He wasn’t going to let a little adversity change his mind.
The thought of transferring never really crossed his mind, he said.
“I always wanted to be a part of something that was bigger than myself, and obviously that takes sacrifices,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t get to be the star. Sometimes you do have shining moments. It was never really a ‘should I transfer’ sort of thing, it was more, ‘How can I make the most of my time here at IU and how can I find a way through the hardships or the struggles that I feel like I might be facing and buy into God’s plan?’ Because I know God has put me here for a reason.
“It’s just about continuing to stay steadfast and working as hard as I can to glorify God, whether I’m a star player or just a role player.”
Leal’s stats may not pop off the screen with high point or assist totals like he put up in high school, but his presence on the court for the Hoosiers is undeniable. He plays the point guard position occasionally, but most importantly, he is regularly tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player.
He held Purdue star point guard and All-American Braden Smith to just eight points — half of his per-game average this season — and helped force Smith into an uncharacteristic six turnovers in a 73-58 win on Feb. 23, a major win for Indiana’s NCAA Tournament resume.
But arguably Leal’s best performance came in a 78-62 road win over Washington on March 1 in which he didn’t even score a point and only took one shot in 34 minutes of action: four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks for a plus-26 rating.
Leal’s 🔒’d. pic.twitter.com/EwyM6JRxFa
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) March 2, 2025
Teammate Luke Goode said he couldn’t remember seeing a plus-minus rating that high for someone who didn’t score a point.
“He’s the most selfless person possible,” Goode told reporters after that game. “He’s one of those guys that doesn’t care what shows up in the stat sheet. All he cares about is the win column. When you got a player like that — that’s selfless, can play 30 minutes and guard the other team’s best offensive player — that’s a valuable guy to any team or program.”
That selfless attitude extends off the court, too. In 2022, Leal used his name, image and likeness money to pay off his sister Lauren’s student loans as a Christmas gift. He credits Lauren for being a major influence in his faith walk by demonstrating strong discipline.
Back on the court, Indiana (19-13) struggled for part of its Big Ten Conference schedule, including five straight losses in late January and early February. But the Hoosiers went 5-2 to close out the regular season, with wins over Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State to get back into the NCAA Tournament discussion. In each of those wins, Leal’s defense was a major factor.
A win over No. 23 Oregon in their first Big Ten Tournament game on Thursday would’ve likely solidified a spot for the Hoosiers in the field of 68, though several bracket projections signal Indiana may have already done enough to earn an at-large bid despite the early Big Ten Tournament exit.
Closing out his career with a deep NCAA Tournament run would mean everything to Leal, and the Hoosiers appear to be playing their best basketball at the right time. But he said the most rewarding part of his career, when he looks back on it, will be knowing that he never gave up when adversity hit.
IU strength coach Clif Marshall, who also leads team chapels, often preaches that “your test will become your testimony,” and “your mess will become your message.” Leal said he hopes people will see that was true in him and will “learn a little bit more about Jesus or come a little closer to Jesus through interacting with me.”
“I always embraced the challenge and knew that if I’m able to stick this out, I would rather leave a legacy of a guy who never gave up and was always trying to be selfless,” he said. “We spend a lot of time trying to learn about Jesus, and for me, if there’s ever an opportunity to act in a way that can bring glory to Jesus, I always try to do that.”
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