(2020) SG Anthony Leal to IU

[ccgeneral]

@JPPrice: FINAL: Bloomington South 64, Southport 49 … Panthers win their Conference Indiana opener behind a career-high 38 points from Anthony Leal, who also had eight rebounds, 13 points from Connor Hickman and 11 points from Noah Jager.

247

Rivals

[indianaranger]

Like to get Leal.

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Thanks for getting his own thread up and running.

[Stromboli]

I'll say it now. I want Leal over our other 2020 targets. Maybe it's my Indiana bias, but I think he's better than Morton. Seems self assured. If he keeps putting up games like this he'll force Archie's hand. 

[Walking Boot of Doom]

I'll say it now. I want Leal over our other 2020 targets. Maybe it's my Indiana bias, but I think he's better than Morton. Seems self assured. If he keeps putting up games like this he'll force Archie's hand. 

If Archie is locking down the border, it almost forces his hand here. Leal appears good enough to be on the roster, and for his recruiting strategy he’s an important one.


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[Brass Cannon]

Just now, Walking Boot of Doom said:

If Archie is locking down the border, it almost forces his hand here. Leal appears good enough to be on the roster, and for his recruiting strategy he’s an important one.


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Not to mention looks to be the favorite for Mr basketball. Although more open than previous years. 

[Walking Boot of Doom]

HE CAN SHOOT! AND HES 6"5! AND HES FROM BLOOMINGTON!

This shouldn't be hard. Give the kid an offer NOW!

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Chillllll


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[Demo]

12 hours ago, Walking Boot of Doom said:

If Archie is locking down the border, it almost forces his hand here. Leal appears good enough to be on the roster, and for his recruiting strategy he’s an important one.


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I’m in a different place on this. To me, locking down the borders isn’t getting every good in state player. It’s getting every good in state player that you want. Romeo, TJD, Brooks, maybe Lander, they’re   high profile, must get kids from a strategic perspective. Those kids can’t get poached.  A kid like, say,  Franklin may help that narrative, and I’m glad he’s coming, but he’s not fundamental to it. At this point, it seems the staff views Leal more like that. 

1 other point: If it’s true that Leal would jump on an offer, then you can’t really offer him until you are certain he’s your best option. If Archie wants, say, 2 guards in ‘20, and he views Morton, Love and Burnett as clearly better, than you can’t offer Leal until you’re out on at least 2 of them. Haven’t seen any of these kids, seeing Love next Saturday, but it’s pretty obvious that Archie sees options other than Leal at this point. But if the kid keeps putting up 38 on people, he’s gonna play himself into the best option.

[Walking Boot of Doom]

I’m in a different place on this. To me, locking down the borders isn’t getting every good in state player. It’s getting every good in state player that you want. Romeo, TJD, Brooks, maybe Lander, they’re   high profile, must get kids from a strategic perspective. Those kids can’t get poached.  A kid like, say,  Franklin may help that narrative, and I’m glad he’s coming, but he’s not fundamental to it. At this point, it seems the staff views Leal more like that. 
1 other point: If it’s true that Leal would jump on an offer, then you can’t really offer him until you are certain he’s your best option. If Archie wants, say, 2 guards in ‘20, and he views Morton, Love and Burnett as clearly better, than you can’t offer Leal until you’re out on at least 2 of them. Haven’t seen any of these kids, seeing Love next Saturday, but it’s pretty obvious that Archie sees options other than Leal at this point. But if the kid keeps putting up 38 on people, he’s gonna play himself into the best option.

Totally agree with all of this, it just seems that 2020 in-state isn’t very strong. Leal may be the only one.


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[Class of '66 Old Fart]

At least from what we can see, Leal has clearly moved ahead of Galloway.  Just don't know much about the Ivey kid from Mishawaka Marian.  It is interesting that none of them has received an IU offer.

[Cookie]

Not to mention looks to be the favorite for Mr basketball. Although more open than previous years. 

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[hoosierpap]

On 12/8/2018 at 10:53 AM, Demo said:

I’m in a different place on this. To me, locking down the borders isn’t getting every good in state player. It’s getting every good in state player that you want. Romeo, TJD, Brooks, maybe Lander, they’re   high profile, must get kids from a strategic perspective. Those kids can’t get poached.  A kid like, say,  Franklin may help that narrative, and I’m glad he’s coming, but he’s not fundamental to it. At this point, it seems the staff views Leal more like that. 

1 other point: If it’s true that Leal would jump on an offer, then you can’t really offer him until you are certain he’s your best option. If Archie wants, say, 2 guards in ‘20, and he views Morton, Love and Burnett as clearly better, than you can’t offer Leal until you’re out on at least 2 of them. Haven’t seen any of these kids, seeing Love next Saturday, but it’s pretty obvious that Archie sees options other than Leal at this point. But if the kid keeps putting up 38 on people, he’s gonna play himself into the best option.

I really like Leal. Archie and Co. are handling this the right way. I think at the end of the day he's a Hoosier

[Hoosier Guy]

I really like Leal. Archie and Co. are handling this the right way. I think at the end of the day he's a Hoosier

That would be great. I think Leal would be awesome for IU


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[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Stanford watched him last week and offered today.

[schoosier]

On 12/7/2018 at 10:02 PM, Brass Cannon said:

Not to mention looks to be the favorite for Mr basketball. Although more open than previous years. 

We got our first one in about 7 years with Romeo. Now TDJ is the front runner since KB is at LL, so let’s keep this Hoosier train rolling. Getting the best in state players will get banners sprinkled in with surrounding talent.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

3 minute clip

 

[GloryDays]

4 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

3 minute clip

 

 Saw him in the Seymour regional last year.More athletic than Gallaway and just as good a shooter.Think he's going to be a good one.

 

[HoosierAloha]

3 minute clip
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First thing I noticed was a SUPER slow shot setup. He’ll definitely have to work on that.


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[ebridges24]

On ‎12‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 8:03 AM, Cookie said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cookie, I never see any of your posts. They're always blank.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

From today's Bloomington Herald-Telephone.  Sorry I couldn't get it formatted into a little easier to read form.

Leal growing into scorers role

As doubt and frustration threatened to take hold of Anthony Leal, Bloomington South’s junior guard picked up his phone and texted someone who would understand. “Did it happen to you ... ?” Leal wrote. The message was sent to Chance Coyle, the Panthers’ all-time leading scorer, the man Leal was supposed to succeed as the program’s most dangerous offensive weapon. Only Leal was 1-of-12 from beyond the arc and 1-of-9 from the free throw line in South’s first 0-2 start since 1978. Leal wanted to pick Coyle’s brain for information. At one time, Coyle was a No. 2 scorer, making the jump to No. 1 after Tucker Blackwell graduated and went to Army. Coyle, now at Southern Indiana, responded to Leal and reminisced about scoring 20-plus points in an opener at Edgewood, only to score nine against New Albany. An adjustment period was normal. Leal just had to let everything come to him. “It definitely helped,” Leal said. “There are a lot of people feeding me advice. The thing that really stuck with me is I’m the only person who can put pressure on myself. All the outside stuff can’t really affect me.” There were plenty of expectations coming in, “noise” Leal justified after a 38-point outburst against Southport. That same skillset put Leal on the national recruiting radar this summer. There is a reason coaches from Butler, Indiana, Stanford, and Xavier have been in the stands watching, seeing him hit 6 of 8 from 3-point range, 21 of 27 from the field, and 15 of 16 from the free throw line in his last two games. The first week of the season has stood in stark contrast from the last two. South is now 2-2. Leal is rolling. But that difficult start offered Leal a lesson. It was humbling. “It’s a spot everyone wants to be in, ‘the guy.’ Sometimes you have to learn how to be the guy in some difficult times,” South coach J.R. Holmes said. “I hope his difficult times are over. It would be easier on us. But I’m sure there will be more to come.” That is just the nature of basketball. Shots will fall. Sometimes, they won’t. The key, for a scorer like Leal, is still finding a way to win. Nearly the entire Panther squad couldn’t hit a shot to start the year, as they went 3-of-27 from the 3-point line. That only increased the burden on Leal, making it all the more frustrating when free throws clanked off the rim and layups rattled out. Leal’s father could tell the misses were sinking in, so they had talks over the dinner table about attacking the rim more, not forcing 3-pointers early. Again, they talked about his singular role in applying pressure to himself, and how not to do it. In his last game, Leal didn’t even take a shot in the first quarter. He scored all 38 in the final three, while sophomore Connor Hickman scored the Panthers’ first 11 points. “We really emphasize getting it to the hot guy,” Leal said. “I was doing other things. I was getting rebounds, getting other guys shots, getting assists and stuff like that. I was just really letting it come to me, for sure.” After hitting better than 50 percent of his 3s as a sophomore, Leal has come to be defined as a “shooter.” But he is hoping to be more than that as a junior. Leal took a step in the direction of being just a plain “scorer” in the Southport game, driving to the rim, pulling up for midrange jumpers. More often this year, the 6-foot-5 guard has been skying for dunks. A couple have popped out, but it’s all part of his evolution as he tries to be a more physical, aggressive finisher. While scholarship offers from Iowa, Maryland, Xavier, Stanford and others have validated Leal’s work to this point, he is trying to stay humble. When he talks to coaches like Southport’s Eric Brand or Warren Central’s Criss Beyers on the AAU circuit, Leal wants to know what’s missing from his game. Holmes chimes, as well. “We were watching film after the Southport game, and everyone is praising me, 38 points, blah, blah, blah, which really doesn’t mean that much, winning means more,” Leal said. “But Coach Holmes was emphasizing the things I didn’t do well, some plays on defense where I was lackadaisical, or missed rebounds, or forced a coupe of shots, stuff like that. He really emphasized the missed dunk, because if it’s a tie game, and I go up and miss it, that can be huge.” There are still plenty of lessons to be learned as Leal grows into his role as a junior and senior. As a team, the Panthers are maturing. During this 2-2 start, Holmes has had to reevaluate his preseason expectations. On paper, South had four of its top seven players back, including Noah Jager at the point. But two of the four, Hickman and senior Adam Graham, came off the bench much of last year. Senior Grayson Rolen missed most of his junior year with an injury. In summer games, this less-experienced South group fared well. But the start of the regular season was more challenging. “As I’ve said several times ... we are a season-maker for some schools, or I can be a season-maker as an individual if I stop Anthony Leal, who has a full-ride scholarship to blank, blank, blank, blank, blank,” Holmes said. “If you’re the man, you have to produce like the man, but you’re also going to be really pressured from another team.” Leal is learning it’s mostly a mental game. “I’m the only one who can put pressure on myself,” Leal said. “If I can just block everything out and stay focused, good things will happen.”