Sarasota Hit or Miss: Jen Blanco

A quick glance at the Riverview High boys basketball team’s roster told me all I needed to know. 

The Rams were going to be good. 

With eight upperclassmen on its 12-man roster, including standout shooting guard A.J. Caldwell, co-captain D.J. Bryant and Sarasota Christian transfer Brion Whitley, I recognized right away that Riverview had the depth to make some serious noise this season. 

I just didn’t realize how good the Rams really were until I finally had a chance to catch them in action last week. 

And let me be the first to tell you, this team is as advertised. 

Facing a Booker team that has seen its own fair share of success this season, Riverview went back and forth with the Tornadoes for the first couple of minutes before eventually turning on the accelerator and running up and down the floor. 

The high-flying Rams put up 80 points, marking the third time Riverview has scored at least 80 points this season. 

The Rams are averaging 70.9 points per game and haven’t lost since Dec. 12, when they fell to Tampa Alonso 57-55 for their only loss of the season. 

Riverview has since won eight straight games and earned the No. 1 ranking in Class 8A in the most recent Florida Association of Basketball Coaches/Source Hoops state rankings, which were released Jan. 11. 

The Rams have seven regular season games remaining, including one district game, before the Class 8A-District 6 tournament gets underway Feb. 1. 

So if you haven’t seen Riverview in action yet, there’s still plenty of time — the Rams should have plenty of basketball left in them come February.