Leal as a 12 year old in his driveway...

[hoosierdaddy_1972]

being a dorky IU fan kid like pretty much all of us were.

https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/watch-12-year-old-anthony-leal-living-out-iu-basketball-fantasies/

 

[ORG]

being a dorky IU fan kid like pretty much all of us were.

https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/watch-12-year-old-anthony-leal-living-out-iu-basketball-fantasies/

It looks a scene from a made for TV movie. I love it.

 

[h20pls]

being a dorky IU fan kid like pretty much all of us were.

https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/watch-12-year-old-anthony-leal-living-out-iu-basketball-fantasies/

Love the fact the kids ... Hoosiers ... understood the value of taking a charge.

 

[kkott]

Love the fact the kids ... Hoosiers ... understood the value of taking a charge.

I was just thinking the same thing. When would kids include taking a charge in the "highlights" video they create? Only in IN!

 

[h20pls]

I was just thinking the same thing. When would kids include taking a charge in the "highlights" video they create? Only in IN!

I know! Only in Indiana!

 

[HurryinHoosiers]

To cool, reminds me of being a kid. I'd say hes hes gonna be a fan favorite for sure. Impressive handles for a 12 year old.

 

[76-1]

Love It!!!

How many of us on here from ages 6 to 18 spent nearly every free hour playing basketball with your friends (and often reliving big games with you as the hero).

Used to be out there with friends where often the games only ended when whichever parent turned off the lights...

Indiana Basketball, nothing else like it.

///Side note: If A.L. was that good as a 12 year old, imagine what we'll get to see as a 22 year old!!!///

 

[kkott]

Love It!!!

How many of us on here from ages 6 to 18 spent nearly every free hour playing basketball with your friends (and often reliving big games with you as the hero).

Used to be out there with friends where often the games only ended when whichever parent turned off the lights...

Indiana Basketball, nothing else like it.

///Side note: If A.L. was that good as a 12 year old, imagine what we'll get to see as a 22 year old!!!///

"my court" was a neighbors slab they'd poured in the back of their house. It was surrounded by some huge pines that ringed their backyard and they let me turn the lights on and off from inside their garage. I can't imagine how many thousands of hours I spent out there growing up, including many when I had to shovel the snow off the slab or playing in the rain. I always felt it was worth at least 2 extra baskets if I was playing someone in 1 on 1 on that court. I could have probably shot pretty well just from looking down at the concrete to know where I was and then turning and shooting with my eyes closed on that court.

I took my son back to IN about 8 years ago and we did a "return home" trip where I took him to all the places I remembered from growing up in IN: Reds game, Kings Island, IN BBall HOF, New Castle fieldhouse, Hoosiers Gym, Indians game, Bankers Life, HoosierDome, IMS, Longs Donuts, Butler, Southport High and IU's gyms. We stopped in at the old 'hood and I checked in with the family living in this house now and asked them if I could shoot there with my son. It was a great trip, and that return to my neighborhood with my son was probably the most meaningful to me.

 

[h20pls]

"my court" was a neighbors slab they'd poured in the back of their house. It was surrounded by some huge pines that ringed their backyard and they let me turn the lights on and off from inside their garage. I can't imagine how many thousands of hours I spent out there growing up, including many when I had to shovel the snow off the slab or playing in the rain. I always felt it was worth at least 2 extra baskets if I was playing someone in 1 on 1 on that court. I could have probably shot pretty well just from looking down at the concrete to know where I was and then turning and shooting with my eyes closed on that court.

I took my son back to IN about 8 years ago and we did a "return home" trip where I took him to all the places I remembered from growing up in IN: Reds game, Kings Island, IN BBall HOF, New Castle fieldhouse, Hoosiers Gym, Indians game, Bankers Life, HoosierDome, Butler, Southport High and IU's gyms. We stopped in at the old 'hood and I checked in with the family living in this house now and asked them if I could shoot there with my son. It was a great trip, and that return to my neighborhood with my son was probably the most meaningful to me.

My dad built a court for my brother and I...had an old City of Bloomington street lamp that illuminated the whole thing. Hours and hours of hoops...when it snowed, we shoveled the court and played until our fingers were numb...my friends from the neighborhood and really all around Btown would come over and we'd have two-on-two or three-on-three tournaments (with brackets, team names, everything)...priceless.

I couldn't recount the number of times we'd count down the clock acting out last second shots...

Basketball is special in this state...Indiana...

 

[iubud]

Love It!!!

How many of us on here from ages 6 to 18 spent nearly every free hour playing basketball with your friends (and often reliving big games with you as the hero).

Used to be out there with friends where often the games only ended when whichever parent turned off the lights...

Indiana Basketball, nothing else like it.

///Side note: If A.L. was that good as a 12 year old, imagine what we'll get to see as a 22 year old!!!///

My dad put in a 40' x 25' basketball court for my 11th birthday. I had to help frame and prepare each section, but it was worth it. I never missed a last second shot for the Hoosiers on that court.

Leal reminds me of many of us that always wanted to play for IU.

 

[kkott]

My dad put in a 40' x 25' basketball court for my 11th birthday. I had to help frame and prepare each section, but it was worth it. I never missed a last second shot for the Hoosiers on that court.

Leal reminds me of many of us that always wanted to play for IU.

oh yes you did miss last second shots on that court... but you were fouled!

 

[h20pls]

oh yes you did miss last second shots on that court... but you were fouled!

No, no, no...you just replayed the last second shot until it went in...and then you celebrated like crazy and the fans went wild...you could even hear Fischer going nuts on the radio...

Those were good times.

 

[kkott]

No, no, no...you just replayed the last second shot until it went in...and then you celebrated like crazy and the fans went wild...you could even hear Fischer going nuts on the radio...

Those were good times.

Often, I went to the line and made the FTs... unless I missed and there was a lane violation. If I missed, there was ALWAYS a lane violation!

 

[Chicago-bound Hoosier]

Often, I went to the line and made the FTs... unless I missed and there was a lane violation.

talk about memories...I lived in enemy territory in the early 80s (not far from Lafayette) and my parents still have pics in their photo albums of my buddies and I playing on the back yard slab we had, wearing 2 sweatshirts and stocking hats with 3 feet of snow piled around the outside of the playing surface. And yes, I was always fouled on that last second attempt, and went to the line to win it.

Anyone remember the poor kid who was on Dakich/James Bullock's Andrean final 4 team (1980?) who missed the 2 FTs at the end of the semi final game (one to tie, two to win)?

update- Mike Paulsin. Just read an article on the 1980 IHSAA final 4. Maybe the best FF in state history.

 

[gulcherboy]

being a dorky IU fan kid like pretty much all of us were.

https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/watch-12-year-old-anthony-leal-living-out-iu-basketball-fantasies/

Somehow, some way, the basketball marketing staff MUST incorporate at least part of this video into Hoosier Hysteria, next year!

 

[CC Mac]

What stood out to me is how little he is in the video and that was only 5 years ago.
These kids are truly that,they are kids.

 

[Cutter1973]

That was awesome! Brought back memories.... I would shoot on my nerf goal in the garage during halftime of games. I thought if I shot well the Hoosiers would play better in the second half and if I didn’t I hoped that I didn’t jinx them!

 

[h20pls]

Often, I went to the line and made the FTs... unless I missed and there was a lane violation. If I missed, there was ALWAYS a lane violation!

Good onya my friend.

 

[76-1]

Somehow, some way, the basketball marketing staff MUST incorporate at least part of this video into Hoosier Hysteria, next year!

I'd prefer they wait and feed that clip to the networks as part of his bio when we reach the NCAA Finals...

 

[Warison]

This completely made my day!

Not only did I have a basketball hoop in my driveway where I pretended to be Steve Alford and Damon Bailey, I also had an awesome full court nerf hoop in my bedroom where I pretended to be both Jimmy Jackson against Calbert Cheaney. Yes, I pretended I was both.

Calbert won every game on a last second shot.

 

[iubud]

Often, I went to the line and made the FTs... unless I missed and there was a lane violation. If I missed, there was ALWAYS a lane violation!

Yes exactly! A few times I had to steal the ball on the inbound play and score a layup at the buzzer as well.

 

[ufo33]

Yes exactly! A few times I had to steal the ball on the inbound play and score a layup at the buzzer as well.

Edwards buzzer beaters.

 

[Chicago-bound Hoosier]

Edwards buzzer beaters.

I was at the 89 IU/UM game...next to last row of lower section with balcony obstructing my view to the center-hanging scoreboard and clock. When his shot went in, I heard the loudest noise I've ever heard, probably not repeated until the WatShot.

But then a few days later, NIck Anderson ripped my heart out.

Those games back then were so intense.

 

[ufo33]

I was at the 89 IU/UM game...next to last row of lower section with balcony obstructing my view to the center-hanging scoreboard and clock. When his shot went in, I heard the loudest noise I've ever heard, probably not repeated until the WatShot.

But then a few days later, NIck Anderson ripped my heart out.

Those games back then were so intense.

I was at the IU vs Michigan game also. When the shot when in at the buzzer the Assembly Hall crowd exploded so loud it sounded like a cannon shot.