Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO: Guard at Work – Anthony Leal Holds Himself ‘Accountable’
1/7/2021 1:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Anthony Leal gets it.
And so he works.
Indiana's freshman guard appreciates the opportunity to wear a Hoosier uniform, to play in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, to the help the Cream and Crimson win.
And if it hasn't led to massive playing time as IU (7-4) prepares to play at No. 8 Wisconsin (9-2), that's not the point.
And so Leal works – during practice and strength-and-conditioning workouts, and beyond.
His goal is to make 500 3-pointers a day, whatever he can during Hoosier time, the rest on his own.
"I am trying to hold myself accountable to do that every day, because I know it's not only going to make me a better shooter, but it's going to increase my confidence," Leal says. "I think that's the biggest issue, just to be confident in my game. Confident in what got me here."
Leal got here because of talent. You don't win Indiana Mr. Basketball honors (as he did last year for Bloomington High School South) without it, and if it's not the elite-right-out-of-high-school level that generates one-and-done opportunity, so what?
Leal is a guy you can win with, now to an extent, and certainly in the next three years.
So he works, even though he's only played in six of IU's 11 games, getting an average of 11.3 minutes a game.
"I know that, whenever I get in, I have to play my role and play as hard as I can and just do what the coaches and my teammates trust me to do, and that's just to play as hard as I can and shoot when I'm open."
We live in an instant-gratification world where good players often consider it a failure if they're not in the NBA a year or two out of high school.
It's not. The work and development matter. The journey matters.
Leal gets it, as do fellow freshmen Trey Galloway, Khristian Lander and Jordan Geronimo.
"I know we're all eager, we're ready to contribute as much as we can," Leal says. "At the same time, we know it is a process. We know if the opportunity is there and our name gets called, where we need to step up, we're all ready. We're all really excited to try and get a win."
Monday night's ankle injury to guard Armaan Franklin early against Maryland meant 12 minutes for Leal, and while he didn't score, he did get good experience that will pay dividends in the future.
"It's just a matter of getting stronger and faster," Leal says.
Fundamentally, Leal is strong, much of it thanks to the strong coaching he got at Bloomington South under J.R. Holmes, the state of Indiana's winningest high school coach.
"Our coaches there really prepared us and scouted like college games here," Leal says, "so I feel I'm pretty prepared in terms of the fundamentals and knowing where I need to be and being in the right position."
Still, the heart of IU's prospects centers on sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, who is coming off a 22-point, 15-rebound effort in the win over Maryland.
Yes, the 6-9 Jackson-Davis is scoring (20.3 points) and rebounding (8.9 rebounds) at career high levels, but it's his vocal prowess that now really sets him apart.
The Hoosiers will need all of that against Wisconsin.
"It's in the locker room where I've improved the most," he says. "I have a bigger voice. I'm not afraid to voice my opinion, and at the same time, hold myself accountable. It's about staying locked in 100 percent. I have to do the right thing every time."
This is new territory for Jackson-Davis. He led IU in just about everything last season, but, as a freshman, he wasn't ready to lead players two and three years older.
"The big thing last year was I didn't think I had the responsibility yet. I was a new guy. I was not the top dog on the team.
"This year we speak our minds more. We all like each other."
Calling out teammates doesn't mean ripping into them, he adds.
"The things I say in the locker room are basically, 'pick it up.' It's not mean."
Mean or not, one thing is clear in the brutally competitive Big Ten, he says.
"Winning close games is big for us.'
IU's ferocious defense, which had taken a big crunch-time hit in three previous games, regained late-game dominance against Maryland.
During a six-minute scoreless stretch the Terrapins were 0-for-7 from the field with three turnovers.
That made all the difference, and could again at Wisconsin, where IU hasn't won since 1998.
The Badgers are 3-1 in Big Ten play, with the only loss coming at home to Maryland.
They have five players averaging in five double figure – guard Trice D'Mitrik (14.2 points, 3.4 rebounds), forward Micah Potter (12.7, 7.3), guard Brad Davison (10.1, 3.1), forward Nate Reuvers (10.0, 4.1) and forward Aleem Ford (10.0, 4.1).
They also have imposing size with the 6-11 Reuvers, 6-10 Potter and 6-8 Ford.
Wisconsin got an unexpected schedule break when last Saturday's game against Penn State was postponed because of Covid-19 issues at Penn State.
That won't affect Leal, who along with his teammates have shown impressive discipline under pandemic conditions.
"We come home from practice, we're all exhausted," he says. "We eat; we watch TV; we watch sports games, if there's anything on. We go to sleep, wake up the next morning for testing, go out to eat, go back to practice."
And so he works.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Anthony Leal gets it.
And so he works.
Indiana's freshman guard appreciates the opportunity to wear a Hoosier uniform, to play in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, to the help the Cream and Crimson win.
And if it hasn't led to massive playing time as IU (7-4) prepares to play at No. 8 Wisconsin (9-2), that's not the point.
And so Leal works – during practice and strength-and-conditioning workouts, and beyond.
His goal is to make 500 3-pointers a day, whatever he can during Hoosier time, the rest on his own.
"I am trying to hold myself accountable to do that every day, because I know it's not only going to make me a better shooter, but it's going to increase my confidence," Leal says. "I think that's the biggest issue, just to be confident in my game. Confident in what got me here."
Leal got here because of talent. You don't win Indiana Mr. Basketball honors (as he did last year for Bloomington High School South) without it, and if it's not the elite-right-out-of-high-school level that generates one-and-done opportunity, so what?
Leal is a guy you can win with, now to an extent, and certainly in the next three years.
So he works, even though he's only played in six of IU's 11 games, getting an average of 11.3 minutes a game.
"I know that, whenever I get in, I have to play my role and play as hard as I can and just do what the coaches and my teammates trust me to do, and that's just to play as hard as I can and shoot when I'm open."
We live in an instant-gratification world where good players often consider it a failure if they're not in the NBA a year or two out of high school.
It's not. The work and development matter. The journey matters.
Leal gets it, as do fellow freshmen Trey Galloway, Khristian Lander and Jordan Geronimo.
"I know we're all eager, we're ready to contribute as much as we can," Leal says. "At the same time, we know it is a process. We know if the opportunity is there and our name gets called, where we need to step up, we're all ready. We're all really excited to try and get a win."
Monday night's ankle injury to guard Armaan Franklin early against Maryland meant 12 minutes for Leal, and while he didn't score, he did get good experience that will pay dividends in the future.
"It's just a matter of getting stronger and faster," Leal says.
Fundamentally, Leal is strong, much of it thanks to the strong coaching he got at Bloomington South under J.R. Holmes, the state of Indiana's winningest high school coach.
"Our coaches there really prepared us and scouted like college games here," Leal says, "so I feel I'm pretty prepared in terms of the fundamentals and knowing where I need to be and being in the right position."
Still, the heart of IU's prospects centers on sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, who is coming off a 22-point, 15-rebound effort in the win over Maryland.
Yes, the 6-9 Jackson-Davis is scoring (20.3 points) and rebounding (8.9 rebounds) at career high levels, but it's his vocal prowess that now really sets him apart.
The Hoosiers will need all of that against Wisconsin.
"It's in the locker room where I've improved the most," he says. "I have a bigger voice. I'm not afraid to voice my opinion, and at the same time, hold myself accountable. It's about staying locked in 100 percent. I have to do the right thing every time."
This is new territory for Jackson-Davis. He led IU in just about everything last season, but, as a freshman, he wasn't ready to lead players two and three years older.
"The big thing last year was I didn't think I had the responsibility yet. I was a new guy. I was not the top dog on the team.
"This year we speak our minds more. We all like each other."
Calling out teammates doesn't mean ripping into them, he adds.
"The things I say in the locker room are basically, 'pick it up.' It's not mean."
Mean or not, one thing is clear in the brutally competitive Big Ten, he says.
"Winning close games is big for us.'
IU's ferocious defense, which had taken a big crunch-time hit in three previous games, regained late-game dominance against Maryland.
During a six-minute scoreless stretch the Terrapins were 0-for-7 from the field with three turnovers.
That made all the difference, and could again at Wisconsin, where IU hasn't won since 1998.
The Badgers are 3-1 in Big Ten play, with the only loss coming at home to Maryland.
They have five players averaging in five double figure – guard Trice D'Mitrik (14.2 points, 3.4 rebounds), forward Micah Potter (12.7, 7.3), guard Brad Davison (10.1, 3.1), forward Nate Reuvers (10.0, 4.1) and forward Aleem Ford (10.0, 4.1).
They also have imposing size with the 6-11 Reuvers, 6-10 Potter and 6-8 Ford.
Wisconsin got an unexpected schedule break when last Saturday's game against Penn State was postponed because of Covid-19 issues at Penn State.
That won't affect Leal, who along with his teammates have shown impressive discipline under pandemic conditions.
"We come home from practice, we're all exhausted," he says. "We eat; we watch TV; we watch sports games, if there's anything on. We go to sleep, wake up the next morning for testing, go out to eat, go back to practice."
And so he works.
Players Mentioned
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