Five Miami and Broward boys’ basketball teams go for state titles. A look at the teams
Anthony Shahbaz thinks Riviera Prep was the favorite to win its first boys’ basketball state title going into last year.
His players finished the season thinking they “100-percent” would have won the Class 3A championship if they had the chance, the Riviera coach said.
After COVID-19 ended their season last year before it even began, the Bulldogs will finally get the chance to prove themselves right this week when — a year later than they had hoped — they’ll get to play in the final four for only the second time in program history.
“They were not bitter, but they were just disappointed that they didn’t even get a chance,” Shahbaz said. “It’s not guaranteed we would’ve won, but we’d have a chance.”
Riviera (23-7) is one of five teams from Miami-Dade and Broward counties set to play this week in Lakeland in the state semifinals and the Bulldogs will help kick off a potentially busy week Wednesday at 2 p.m. when they face Melbourne Holy Trinity Episcopal in the 3A semifinals at the RP Funding Center.
As the No. 11 team in MaxPreps’ Florida rankings, Riviera is the No. 1 team in its classification and finally will get to play as the favorite, like Shahbaz always hoped.
In 2020, the Bulldogs’ potential dream season was snatched away before they even played in their first game. The coronavirus situation in Miami and at the school prompted the private school’s administration to shut down all sports teams. Riviera, which reached the Class 4A semifinals in 2019 and the Region 4-3A championship in 2020, was heartbroken.
Shahbaz told Bulldogs athletic director Courtney Young, “I can’t accept that as an answer,” and came up with an alternative: He would have his entire roster play for Shahbaz Elite, his local travel team, and they would play anyone who was willing. Riviera wouldn’t get to win a state title, but it would play an elite schedule, including games against Orlando West Oaks Academy and SPIRE Institute from Geneva, Ohio.
All told, the Bulldogs played about 50 games, Shahbaz said, and most were against prep schools.
“We could have never simulated that type of competition in practice or in games against high school kids,” Shahbaz said. “We really played grown men all year that were bigger, stronger, faster and we just found ways to win.”
Riviera only graduated one contributor, although it did also lose one of its best players to transfer early in the season. Still, guard Esteben Lluberes gives the Bulldogs a go-to option, averaging 18.1 points per game. For good reason, Riviera is still the favorite.
As for the other five Miami-Dade and Broward teams heading up to Lakeland:
Columbus (27-2) is in the final four for the first time since 2011 and might just have its best team ever. Freshman wings Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the twin sons of former All-NBA power forward Carlos Boozer, combine to average 36.0 points per game and have the Explorers two wins away from their first state title. Columbus will have all-South Florida matchup in the Class 7A semifinals when it faces Lake Worth on Friday.
Calvary Christian Academy (22-2) might be the best team in Lakeland, ranked No. 2 in the nation by MaxPreps and on the verge of repeating as champion. Calvary Christian won its first state title since 2017 last year, erasing a 12-point deficit in the second half to avoid disaster at the end of the best season in program history. The Eagles only had one senior last season, so they went into this year with even bigger expectations and have delivered. They still have a chance to be national champions and it’ll have to start with a Class 4A title. Star forward Gregg Glenn, who has already signed with the Michigan Wolverines, leads the way for Calvary Christian with 10.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Sagemont, which won two state titles and went to two more championship games from 2011-2015, is back in the final four for the first time since 2015. Senior guard Adrian Cruz is the driving force for the Lions, averaging 19.9 points per game. Sagemont (24-6) has two other guards averaging more than 10 points per game, as juniors Cameron Gibson and Tynan Becker are both averaging 11.9.
Stranahan (25-3) rose fast and could have flamed out quickly when the school fired Terrence Williams after he was arrested on charges of defrauding the federal COVID relief fund of nearly $1 million. The former coach led the Mighty Dragons to their first two championships in 2019 and 2020 before being ousted in the middle of last season, as Stranahan failed to reach the region playoffs. A year later, the Dragons are back in the final four with a chance to win their third title in four years. Forward Hykeem Williams, who’s the No. 9 wide receiver and No. 50 recruit overall in the 247Sports.com rankings for the Class of 2023, leads the way for Stranahan, averaging 12.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
