- January 29, 2025
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The FHSAA boys and girls basketball district tournaments are on the horizon. The tournaments are litmus tests for the regional tournament, which begins on Feb 13. Each classification in the state, 1A through 7A, is broken up into 16 districts across four regions.
The four district champions and the next four highest ranked teams per regional bracket, based off the final FHSAA MaxPrep rankings, advance to the regional tournament. Here is a look at where each of Sarasota’s high school programs stand.
Sarasota High: 22-2, 5-0 (1st) 7A District 12
For BJ Ivey, the skipper of Sarasota High, it’s all about keeping an even keel. The Sailors have been dominant this season after capturing the district title in 2024, but Ivey knows that his squad can’t afford to take its foot off the gas.
“If you get complacent, then you’re no longer improving,” said Ivey. “You’re either getting better or getting worse — things don’t stay the same. We want to stay humble and have the same energy and enthusiasm about achieving our goals as we did back when we created them in the beginning of the year.”
Cardinal Mooney High: 20-2, 0-0 (6th) 3A District 8
Expectations for Cardinal Mooney, the 3A-11 champions in 2024, were collectively managed at the start of the season after not only losing nine seniors, but hiring new Head Coach Curt Kassab and reclassifying to the more competitive District 8.
The Cougars, however, have exceeded expectations thanks to the contributions of young talent. Sophomore guard Jamaal George and junior point guard Malakai Cuffy lead Cardinal Mooney in scoring, averaging 14.8 and 13.3 points per game, respectively. Junior 6-foot-8 forward Sam Reindel has blossomed into a formidable post presence under Kassab, bringing down a team-leading seven rebounds per game, while averaging 11.3 points.
Riverview High: 13-10, 3-2 (3rd) 7A District 12
The question surrounding Riverview, with two losses to Sarasota this season, is if the team has enough around star junior guard Josh Harris to remain competitive against more complete teams? Harris is having an excellent season, averaging 20.1 points per game, shooting 56% from the floor and 42% from beyond the arc.
Riverview’s next highest scorer, however, is Cole Coggin, who averages just over 10 points per game. For the Rams to be a force in the district tournament and beyond, look for players like 6-foot-5 senior forward Rhys Gamble — who Jeff Harris referred to as a “Swiss Army knife” — to take a scoring load off of Josh Harris.
Booker High: 11-11, 2-0 (1st) 4A District 11
The graduation of star point guard Jovan Palavra in 2024 has left a 6-foot-5 hole in Booker’s back court this season after winning a district title last season.
“When you lose the best player in the area, it’s easier said than done to replace him,” said Head Coach Carl Williams. “None of our three leading scorers, J.P. Lattimore, Chris Perets and Darius Behn, play point guard. We’ve been moving things around to see who can best facilitate the offense.”
Most recently, senior Michael Young, a transfer from Chicago, starting at point guard. While Young, who stands around 5-foot-10 and averages just 3.6 points per game, is not a star like Palavra, he could be the key to unlocking a potent Booker offense in a district that's home to the defending 4A state champions, St. Petersburg Gibbs.
Cardinal Mooney High: 14-9, 1-0 (4th) 3A District 8
Marlon Williams’ Cougars remain the team to beat in Class 3A. In the past four years, the Cougars have won three district titles and have been the runner-up in the state tournament.
2025 appears to be yet another banner year for Cardinal Mooney. Senior Kali Barrett is averaging 16.9 points per game along with 9.4 rebounds. Sophomore forward Madi Mignery, has flourished in her second year, averaging 16 points per game and 8.4 rebounds.
Barrett and Mignery, however, are not the only reasons why Cardinal Mooney is set for yet another big postseason push in 2025.
“Sy’monique Simon can do everything defensively,” said Williams. “She’s always guarding the best player and she’s versatile on the offensive end as well. Charlie Scibelli (junior guard) is peaking at the right time. Riley Martin is able to play at the point as well as off the ball, she’s able to knock down open threes and mid-range shots.”
Booker High: 13-6, 0-0 (4th) 4A District 11
The Tornadoes have stormed through their competition thanks in large part to the offensive output from their two lead guards, junior Yvette Brown and senior Brianna Behn.
Behn, a transfer from Cardinal Mooney, has been unlocked, said coach Ty Bryant. Formerly in Marlon William’s pass-first offense, Behn has had to learn to be more selfish, averaging 14.2 points per game, while still maintaining the vision that makes her unique.
For Booker to win the district title for the fourth year in a row, Bryant noted that in addition to the team being more consistent at the foul line, the offense needs to come from players other than Brown and Behn.
“We’re still waiting for Kennedy Guy to become hot from the three-point line,” said Bryant. “She’s starting to improve over the last three to four games and if she can be even more consistent, it opens up so much for us offensively, especially given that we’re a little undersized in the post.”
Riverview High: 18-3, 2-1 (2nd) 7A District 12
Opposing offenses have been held to under 40 points in 10 of Riverview’s 18 victories this season. It’s a stat line that is indicative of how coach Gerald Perry wants his team to play, a methodology that Riverview must stick with if it wants to avenge its loss to Venice High in last year’s district championship come tournament time.
“We’re going to force teams into doing things that they don’t want to do,” said Perry. “We’re going to force them to play at our pace and use that pressure to convert points off defense and create a consistent half-court offense for ourselves.”
Sarasota High: 9-13, 0-3 (4th) 7A District 12
Although the dark horse candidate in a highly competitive district, the Sailors shouldn’t be counted out if only because of the brilliance of junior point guard Paisley Binswanger. Binswanger averaged 18.8 points per game and 10.1 rebounds during the regular season. If Sarasota wants to be competitive in the district tournament, Binswanger will have to remain elite.
