Fernando Caballero, Action Sports Institute
Journalists in Puerto Rico have the well-built guard pegged as the most coach-able player and natural leader in the 2020 class.
A pure shooter who can reel off points in a hurry, Caballero will inherit a prominent role from the very beginning under known program builder Brett Newman at Action.
Caballero shot 55 percent from beyond the arc as a senior, averaging a team-best 19 PPG and constantly emerging as the surefire source for a timely shot. He’s increased his vertical and now possesses the type of Division-1 athleticism and open court finishing which coaches prioritize.
Caballero attended one of the elite Academic institutions in Puerto Rico, a rigorous school similar to Andover (MA) or Choate (CT) or a Westchester County Blue Ribbon School of Excellence with its prestigious academics.
Newman has lauded his shot-making acumen and how well he clamps down on opposing guards.
His strength at 6-foot-1 and a bullish 205 pounds has enabled him to really make scorers work for what they do get against them.
The area which he’s improved most, however, is the big guard’s ability to create for himself and orchestrate easy buckets for his teammates.
With his purity of vision, Caballero is able to hit guys in stride and also attract defenders before whizzing it to an open big in the post.
Beyond this cerebral style of play, Caballero’s tightened handle and array of step-backs and sheer toughness in knifing his way to the rim have drawn notice.
Coach Newman has made it clear he wants his stud guard to inherit some ownership of the national team from the very start, that’s how much he thinks of him.
Expect the mentally tough guard to accumulate Division-1 offers prior to the start of the 2019-2020 campaign.
Kobe Samake, Scotland Campus Sports
The Class of 2019 forward is a monstrous athlete at 6-foot-6, barrelling into the rim and snatching rebounds with consistency.
Employed strictly as a senior strongman last year, Samake put together multiple games of 20+ rebounds. His high horsepower and gung ho style was best evidenced during his thorough 21 point, 18 rebound performance during a home win v.s. Combine Academy (NC).
Working under the guidance and expertise of player development ace and known international recruiter Sullivan Brown, Samake has improved with his handle and simultaneously opened up his jumper.
As Brown and strength and conditioning coach Travis Scott continue to propel his development and hold him to a high standard everyday this summer, Samake’s stock will rapidly increase.
Samake displayed unique flashes last season, albeit making his commitment to the game one of highest order will polish him up significantly.
The quality is there and the talent is there, which makes for an intriguing forward who can potentially emerge as a daily double double threat.
Niko Oliver, Undecided
After averaging 18 PPG and shooting it at a clip above 50 percent at Ridgewater JUCO in Minnesota, Oliver is back on the market.
Jarringly similar to the aforementioned Caballero, Oliver has an imposing physical build at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds. He’s able to apply thorough chest to chest defensive tactics and keep high scoring guards and forwards at bay. Such was his role during his senior year at Oak Ridge, when the Orlando native played alongside hot shooting guard Mike Devoe, who later transferred to Montverde Academy and is now at Georgia Tech.
Oliver’s wildly athletic finishing ability and above the rim game add intrigue to his all around game. While he takes most pride in minimizing the opponent’s scoring, he has grown incrementally as an all three levels scorer.
