Indiana University Athletics
Sunday, December 12
Bloomington, Ind.
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Indiana University
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Merrimack
More ‘Confident’ Leal Making More Impact
12/12/2021 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
More 'Confident' Leal Making More Impact
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It's easy to be patient, when you're Anthony Leal, and you recognize you're right where you want to be even when, in some ways, you're not.
"When I was a kid," Indiana's sophomore guard says, "I dreamt about being exactly where I'm at."
Success often comes to those who wait, who have the maturity to see past instant-impact hopes and appreciate opportunity in whatever form it comes.
For Leal, an Indiana high school superstar turned college reserve, it's come in the last two games in measured meaningful minutes. He was a major first-half player in the Nebraska win, a crunch-time contributor in the Wisconsin loss and perhaps more in Sunday's home game against Merrimack.
Through it all, play or sit, perspective rules for this former Indiana Mr. Basketball out of Bloomington High School South.
It starts with confidence.
"Confidence has come by taking a step back and understanding where I'm at and the blessing I'm in," he says. "It comes by understanding that every day I get to put on the jersey is a blessing. It's have as much fan as I can.
"When you focus on having fun, it makes it a lot easier and takes the burden and pressure off."
There will always be pressure when you play for Indiana, especially when you come off a gut-wrenching loss, as the Hoosiers (7-2) did Wednesday night at Wisconsin, when a near-perfect first half morphed into a disastrous second half.
It is, in so many ways, an opportunity to learn and grow rather than regress and repeat. Last season taught Leal that.
"The biggest lesson from last year is the confidence I feel has to come from myself," he says. "I can't expect it from other players or coaches or family or fans. It has to come from me and come as a result of working as hard as I can."
Leal has played a total of 45 minutes in five games this season. Those minutes rank 11th on the team. Only three Hoosiers have played less.
However, Leal has played 20 minutes in the last two games, a reflection of practice performance and commitment.
In other words, you reap what you sew.
"I don't feel like I changed anything in terms of my playing style or skills," he says. "I try to stay consistent. Keep doing my job which is play as hard as I can. Try to make winning plays. Focus on that. Focus on being the best version of myself every day.
"Eventually all the hard work will pay off and it slowly has. I'm excited to keep it going."
Excitement includes improved defense.
Consider Leal was on the court Wednesday night for crunch-time minutes, as much for defense as offense. He guarded Wisconsin's best player, Johnny Davis, when it mattered most. Leal fiercely contested Davis' corner three-pointer that proved to be the game-winning.
Yes, Leal couldn't stop Davis, but no Hoosier could. Davis' 23 points made him the only Badger to reach double figures.
The fact Leal was on Davis at the end reflects the confidence coaches have in him and the work he puts in. It starts in practice and working with associate head coach Dane Fife, who was once the Big Ten's best defender as a Hoosier.
"Coach Fife pushes me every day to be very meticulous in my defense and the way I'm moving," Leal says. "It's knowing more in terms of where I should be and make it easier on myself by being in the right position early."
Then there's the work Leal puts in with strength coach Clif Marshall.
"Coach Clif has us getting stronger and quicker every day," Leal says. "It's a combination of all those things that makes me a better defender."
Offensively, Leal averages 3.6 points. He is 7-for-9 from the field, 4-for-6 on three-pointers while buying into coach Mike Woodson's I-believe-in-you approach.
"He's basically given us the green light to take any good shot," Leal says. "I'm still working as hard as I can at it."
During games, his work doesn't necessarily translate into plenty of shots, or even any shots. He took zero against Wisconsin.
"I try to focus on making the best shot or the best play," he says. "It might seem like I'm passing up shots, but I'm trying to move the ball. Get some ball movement and get the better shot. Try to make the right play.
"If that's for me to shoot, I'm confident I will knock it down."
How does Leal stay ready during games when most of his time is spent watching on the bench, which he never did in high school?
"A lot of it is mental," he says. "Physically, you have to be somewhat loose, but most of it is mental and staying locked in and prepared. I try to bring as much energy as I can on the bench so that translates when I'm on the court.
"In terms of playing, emulate that with some of my workouts by not necessarily warming up. Just going straight to shooting threes and get right into it. Translate to what it's like in a game, where when I first come in, if I get a good shot, I need to be ready to shoot. That's my mentality."
The mentality for Leal and all the Hoosiers focuses on a strong finish to the month before Big Ten play resumes in January.
The goal is to merge the good that happened in the second half at Syracuse and the first half at Wisconsin into consistent 40-minute performances.
Why have the Hoosiers struggled at that, especially on the road?
"I'm not sure the reason why," sophomore forward Jordan Geronimo says. "We talked about what happened at Wisconsin. We are learning from the experience.
"This team in a rebuilding kind of phase with Coach Woodson coming in. We will have some slipups. That's inevitable on the path to get back to where we used to be at (as a consistent national contender). We're learning. We're getting better each day. We want to get back to where we were at."
It starts with Sunday's game against Merrimack, which is 4-7 with four straight losses. That includes Friday's 80-55 defeat at No. 5 Gonzaga.
The Warriors are transitioning to Division I. They won't be eligible for the NCAA tourney until 2024.
The eight-player rotation is led by 6-8 Jordan Minor, who averages 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds, and has a team-leading 26 blocks.
After a week break for finals, IU faces Notre Dame in the last Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis (officials are ending this annual December event that matches IU, Notre Dame, Purdue and Butler) before wrapping up non-conference play with Northern Kentucky and UNC-Ashville.
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It's easy to be patient, when you're Anthony Leal, and you recognize you're right where you want to be even when, in some ways, you're not.
"When I was a kid," Indiana's sophomore guard says, "I dreamt about being exactly where I'm at."
Success often comes to those who wait, who have the maturity to see past instant-impact hopes and appreciate opportunity in whatever form it comes.
For Leal, an Indiana high school superstar turned college reserve, it's come in the last two games in measured meaningful minutes. He was a major first-half player in the Nebraska win, a crunch-time contributor in the Wisconsin loss and perhaps more in Sunday's home game against Merrimack.
Through it all, play or sit, perspective rules for this former Indiana Mr. Basketball out of Bloomington High School South.
It starts with confidence.
"Confidence has come by taking a step back and understanding where I'm at and the blessing I'm in," he says. "It comes by understanding that every day I get to put on the jersey is a blessing. It's have as much fan as I can.
"When you focus on having fun, it makes it a lot easier and takes the burden and pressure off."
There will always be pressure when you play for Indiana, especially when you come off a gut-wrenching loss, as the Hoosiers (7-2) did Wednesday night at Wisconsin, when a near-perfect first half morphed into a disastrous second half.
It is, in so many ways, an opportunity to learn and grow rather than regress and repeat. Last season taught Leal that.
"The biggest lesson from last year is the confidence I feel has to come from myself," he says. "I can't expect it from other players or coaches or family or fans. It has to come from me and come as a result of working as hard as I can."
Leal has played a total of 45 minutes in five games this season. Those minutes rank 11th on the team. Only three Hoosiers have played less.
However, Leal has played 20 minutes in the last two games, a reflection of practice performance and commitment.
In other words, you reap what you sew.
"I don't feel like I changed anything in terms of my playing style or skills," he says. "I try to stay consistent. Keep doing my job which is play as hard as I can. Try to make winning plays. Focus on that. Focus on being the best version of myself every day.
"Eventually all the hard work will pay off and it slowly has. I'm excited to keep it going."
Excitement includes improved defense.
Consider Leal was on the court Wednesday night for crunch-time minutes, as much for defense as offense. He guarded Wisconsin's best player, Johnny Davis, when it mattered most. Leal fiercely contested Davis' corner three-pointer that proved to be the game-winning.
Yes, Leal couldn't stop Davis, but no Hoosier could. Davis' 23 points made him the only Badger to reach double figures.
The fact Leal was on Davis at the end reflects the confidence coaches have in him and the work he puts in. It starts in practice and working with associate head coach Dane Fife, who was once the Big Ten's best defender as a Hoosier.
"Coach Fife pushes me every day to be very meticulous in my defense and the way I'm moving," Leal says. "It's knowing more in terms of where I should be and make it easier on myself by being in the right position early."
Then there's the work Leal puts in with strength coach Clif Marshall.
"Coach Clif has us getting stronger and quicker every day," Leal says. "It's a combination of all those things that makes me a better defender."
Offensively, Leal averages 3.6 points. He is 7-for-9 from the field, 4-for-6 on three-pointers while buying into coach Mike Woodson's I-believe-in-you approach.
"He's basically given us the green light to take any good shot," Leal says. "I'm still working as hard as I can at it."
During games, his work doesn't necessarily translate into plenty of shots, or even any shots. He took zero against Wisconsin.
"I try to focus on making the best shot or the best play," he says. "It might seem like I'm passing up shots, but I'm trying to move the ball. Get some ball movement and get the better shot. Try to make the right play.
"If that's for me to shoot, I'm confident I will knock it down."
How does Leal stay ready during games when most of his time is spent watching on the bench, which he never did in high school?
"A lot of it is mental," he says. "Physically, you have to be somewhat loose, but most of it is mental and staying locked in and prepared. I try to bring as much energy as I can on the bench so that translates when I'm on the court.
"In terms of playing, emulate that with some of my workouts by not necessarily warming up. Just going straight to shooting threes and get right into it. Translate to what it's like in a game, where when I first come in, if I get a good shot, I need to be ready to shoot. That's my mentality."
The mentality for Leal and all the Hoosiers focuses on a strong finish to the month before Big Ten play resumes in January.
The goal is to merge the good that happened in the second half at Syracuse and the first half at Wisconsin into consistent 40-minute performances.
Why have the Hoosiers struggled at that, especially on the road?
"I'm not sure the reason why," sophomore forward Jordan Geronimo says. "We talked about what happened at Wisconsin. We are learning from the experience.
"This team in a rebuilding kind of phase with Coach Woodson coming in. We will have some slipups. That's inevitable on the path to get back to where we used to be at (as a consistent national contender). We're learning. We're getting better each day. We want to get back to where we were at."
It starts with Sunday's game against Merrimack, which is 4-7 with four straight losses. That includes Friday's 80-55 defeat at No. 5 Gonzaga.
The Warriors are transitioning to Division I. They won't be eligible for the NCAA tourney until 2024.
The eight-player rotation is led by 6-8 Jordan Minor, who averages 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds, and has a team-leading 26 blocks.
After a week break for finals, IU faces Notre Dame in the last Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis (officials are ending this annual December event that matches IU, Notre Dame, Purdue and Butler) before wrapping up non-conference play with Northern Kentucky and UNC-Ashville.
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