Dwyer defeats Wellington, Amari Nealy paying forward lessons taught by state title seniors

PALM BEACH GARDENS — It's been over 10 months since Dwyer boys basketball claimed its fourth state championship in program history.

The Panthers are 12-1 on the season after taking down rival Wellington 67-59 on Tuesday. The week before, they debuted in the Florida High School Athletic Association's power rankings at No. 19 out of 662 total programs sprawling across the state. But when you look around the gym, locking eyes with the painted Panther pouncing out of the wall, there are a few things missing. Actually, just one.

At least when you ask Dwyer head coach Fred Ross.

There's still no banner in the vicinity that memorializes the Panther's 29-1 run and milestone achieved in Lakeland way back in March. When asked where that pennant might be for arguably the school's most accomplished program, after a scope of the room, Ross — as happy as he was the Panthers' "got lucky and came out on top" — called out across the gym for Dwyer staff to ask them himself:

"Is there an administrator in here because I was just asked where the state championship banner is?"

However, Dwyer has no qualms about the idea of adding two new 6A state championship banners at once. That doesn't mean the road ahead isn't long, though.

The Panthers are preparing for foe Martin County on Thursday and looking to get revenge on Lake Worth to close out the regular season on Jan. 30.

"We try to take it one game at a time. This [Wellington] was big for us — but some of these young kids, we've got time to find ways to get them involved and get some playing experience so we'll be better in time for playoffs," Ross said.

Ain't nothing new ... kind of

Fortunately, the boys of Dwyer, young and old, don't need an oversized piece of fabric to let everyone know just who they are.

They have the scoreboard. And they have cheerleaders.

As Wellington (12-3) found many of its scoring opportunities only at the free-throw line against the staple "D-Block" defense, the girls cheered.

"It takes a penalty to do what we do," they echoed, adding a reminder of the powerhouse that Ross has built since starting the program when the school opened in 1991. "This ain't nothing new."

What is new is Dwyer's starting lineup, drained of unforgettable, now-graduated stars Frenelson Atilus, Mason Brown, Kyle McNeal and Blake Wilson. The only returning piece?

Amari Nealy, now a 6-foot-4 senior who gave a team-leading 14-point, nine-rebound performance against Ponte Vedra to make Dwyer state champions, and give Panthers fans the faith that they could easily be making the trip back to the RP Funding Center this year. Against Wellington, he recorded his fourth double-double of the season — 15 points, highlighted by two 3-pointers, and 11 rebounds — chipping in an assist, two steals and a block.

You're probably thinking, "But you said the only thing missing was the banner." Not so fast.

Ross motioned to his players as they gathered their things from the bench.

"It's funny that you say that, because Kyle, Blake, Nelson, Mason, they're still here," he said with a proud grin.

"They probably did more with these guys than I have," Ross said. "They were home over the holidays. They talked to them and came and worked out with the kids."

"Because of the kids last year, this senior group, they're ready."

Nealy busy paying forward teachings of Dwyer state champ seniors

No one knows that better than Nealy, who remembered one last conversation with the crew that took place before the season began and helped shape him into the unstoppable wing he's become.

"It's really thanks to them," Nealy said. "Before they left, I had a long talk with all of them, you know, telling me how I got to step up as a leader and things like that because I'm the only returning starter from last year. Coming off winning a state championship, a lot of teams want to come for your head."

"That championship game was big. It gave you a feeling where you want to go back and win again. It's not a lot of people here that went back-to-back and I just want to do that with this team and be one of the seniors in Palm Beach County to say that we went back-to-back."

There are certainly familiar faces back on the court this season, from Jaelen Nelson, who led scoring on Tuesday with 21 points and 11 rebounds, to Bobby Gilbert III, both senior guards, to senior forward LJ Jastrome. Yet, there are a host of new faces, too, like senior point guard Jaironn Speights, who arrived from Deerfield Beach High, former Palm Beach Gardens center Jermuni Shuler, a junior, and Tamari Reed, a Pine School sophomore guard transfer.

"He's matured a lot. He's accepting responsibility. He's trying to be a leader by example, so it's all those little things he's doing better that needed some work before the season started," Ross said of Nealy.

That's why it's been so important to Nealy to get his team together off the court, and the bond they've built since the summer has been full of smiles and laughs.

Although Nealy would tell you that the "funniest" moment of the season didn't come until their meeting with the Wolverines, when Nelson got "dunked on." The zing drew laughter from nearby Nelson and a pack of teammates surrounding him with phone cameras in hand during a postgame interview.

Once the jokes were over, Nealy got real about why his crew is having the success it's had this season:

"Be a teenager sometimes. Just chill."

Of course, practice is important. Allen Iverson already taught us that. So are winning big games like Wellington — for the fourth year in a row. But this Dwyer team's near-perfect record seems to have been built by not focusing on the target that competitors around the state have pinned to its back but, rather, kids just being kids.

If anything, it looks like the Panthers' biggest targets are on each other's backs depending on who gets the win in 2K or a Fortnite Battle Royale.

"We're all really close. Last year, it was the same way," Nealy said. "It just gets us closer and builds chemistry with each other."

That being said, the Palm Beach County School District best have its scissor-lift ready by this March to add some new decor to the Panther's Den.

More top performers from Dwyer vs. Wellington

Elyjah Freeman, Sr., PF, Wellington: McDonald's All-American Game nominee posted double-double − 17 points, 10 rebounds

Bobby Gilbert III, Sr., G, Dwyer: Chipped in seven points and five rebounds with a team-high five assists

Reggie Reinhardt, Sr., SG, Wellington: Led team with 19 points and contributed six rebounds

Jaironn Speights, Sr., PG, Dwyer: Second on team in scoring with 16 points, adding four defensive rebounds, an assist, and a steal

Emilee Smarr is a sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: How Dwyer's state champion seniors are shaping run back to Lakeland