RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2019 Team rankings | 2019 Position rankings
Anthony Leal, a four-star guard from Indiana, just finished up a great junior season at Bloomington South. He scored 25 points per game along with five rebounds and four assists on his way to leading the team to the Elite 8 in the state playoffs.
The No. 91 overall player in the 2020 class has a recruitment that spans the entire country and includes some of the top academic institutions in the country. Stanford is in the mix and hosted him for an official visit earlier this spring. Northwestern, Virginia, Xavier, Indiana (no offer) and several others have been staying in contact with Leal.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Leal talked about some of the schools involved in his recruitment.
Indiana: “They have not offered yet. It’s pretty much the same thing. I still talk to them and stay in touch since it’s so close.”
Northwestern: “They really prioritized me, which feels amazing. I plan on getting over there soon for an official visit this spring. I like they are doing a great job making progress and play a great system for a guard like me that can shoot. It’s definitely intriguing.”
Stanford: “It was really good. It was awesome. I got to see their game against Washington and check everything out. It was a lot of fun. It was an impressive game. They lost on a missed buzzer-beater, but I really like how the coaches coached them and how the players played."
Virginia: “It was a great season bouncing back from last year. I really like the way they prioritize defense and have a close-knit team. They have a kid from Indiana, Kyle Guy, that just won Most Outstanding Player. They have an amazing coaching staff.”
Xavier: “I’ll probably get back over there soon to visit and hang out with the coaches and the team. I really like them. They were the first school to really offer me and just to know they had that faith in me means a lot. I watched pretty much all their games this year. It’s definitely impressive how they started rough but then finished really strong.”
RIVALS REACTION
When pressed on when he could make a decision, Leal was very non-committal. He said it really just depends on when he finds the right school for him. Stanford definitely made a strong impression on his trip to Palo Alto. Virginia’s national championship with Indiana native Guy leading the way definitely helped Tony Bennett’s chances of signing Leal.
Xavier has been in there for the longest and Northwestern has come on really strong of late. It’s probably a safe bet he chooses one of those schools when it comes time for a decision, but he did mention he’s still open to schools that could come in next weekend during the live period.
