Peak Performers Pt. 2

The freshmen players below have made a significant impact for their squads this season. They're putting in the work in the right ways and showing no signs of slowing down.    Micah is a patient, impactful combo guard with a mean crossover and an impressive ability to finish through contact. His ballhandling skills are excellent and he has a nice floater in the lane that is nearly an automatic bucket every time he throws it up. He doesn't rush into bad decisions and he's always scanning the floor for his best routes and options, whether that be for himself or a wide-open teammate. Breaking ankles is a regularity for him and he has a solid pull-up jumper that he sinks on his opponents while they're backpedaling. He can sink it from deep, but he doesn't rely too heavily on the three-point shot which is refreshing to see. Caballero is going to be opening up lanes and opportunities for his teammates for a long time to come and more and more heads will turn his way due to his stellar play.     Bryan is a shifty, quick point guard that makes solid decisions on the fast break and hustles non-stop on the hardwood. He's a nice two-way player with the ability to lock down his opponents and frequently block and alter shots in the paint. If a loose ball hits the floor, expect Li to be the first no the ground after it, constantly sacrificing his body to get his squad closer to victory. He has great court vision and the ability to make effective plays quickly. He never panics under pressure, actually appearing to thrive from it by scoring or assisting in those situations more times than not. He's a beast on the glass on both ends and doesn't back down to any player when it comes to making the right plays. Li is going to continue to garner plenty of attention with his solid play and I'm excited to see it.     Luis is a speedy, smart point guard that can positively impact the game for his squad in a variety of ways. He's strategic with how he moves without the ball and always seems to be in the right place at the right time on the court. Whether it's trailing a teammate for an easy putback attempt or using his elite vision to find an open, streaking teammate for an easy deuce, Martinez is a winning player that makes winning plays. He has a nice burst on his drives that allow him to breeze by his defenders and get clear looks at the rim in the paint. Martinez has a ton of potential and I can tell he puts in the work needed to consistently get better. I can't wait to see the attention on him build and build due to his solid play and work ethic.     The first time I saw Messiah play, I was blown away by his speed, toughness, and decision-making. He doesn't play like a freshman and seems to make a positive impact on every possession on both ends. He can shoot it from mid-range and beyond the arc with reliable accuracy, which opens up holes for his teammates that he happily takes advantage of. His passing ability is next level and I'm almost in disbelief that it's this good at this young of an age. Cross-court dishes, between two defenders, slicing and dicing the thinnest of lanes - it's just a pleasure to watch and it makes a huge difference for his squad. Lynch is the type of point guard that can wow the crowd individually while simultaneously lifting up his teammates and elevating their play along with his own. A true difference-maker that has star potential and is only going to get better and better from here.     Isaiah is a lockdown two-way combo guard that can put clamps on the opposing team's best player and have a blast while doing so. He intentionally makes defense a priority in his focus on his game and you can quickly tell that he takes pride in giving his opponent absolute fits throughout his games. He's incredibly active on the glass on both ends and he's a walking bucket with the ability to create on his own or pull up and knock it down whenever needed. I'm impressed with how well Robinson frequently fills out the stat sheet while having such a heavy focus on defense. He's graceful in the lane with a beautiful finger roll and effective pump fakes paired with solid footwork to get himself wide open looks at the bucket. Robinson has star written all over him and I'd be shocked if that doesn't come to fruition with how much work he puts in and how passionate he is about the game.

The freshmen players below have made a significant impact for their squads this season. They're putting in the work in the right ways and showing no signs of slowing down.