TITLE RUN BUILDING SUPPORT
Stranahan looking to follow first 6A state championship with repeat
When Stranahan clinched the Class 6A state championship in March, players and coaches let their emotions pour out.
Players cried, and coach Terrence Williams dedicated the title — Stranahan’s first — to the late Mighty Dragons coach Keith Skinner.
“I was crying when there were 30 seconds left, when we were up seven,” Stranahan guard Dave Herard said after winning the championship. “I knew we had it. And I’m so glad.”
Nine months later, Stranahan is looking to take the next step and become the first Mighty Dragons team to repeat as state champions.
“It inspires [the team] to want to do it again,” Williams said. “We know that going for a second time around will be even harder than the first time, so the focus is a little tighter than last year. And the hunger is definitely there.”
Williams said that since winning the title, he’s seen even more support from those around his program.
“Full support from the administration, the teachers, from Day 1, the community, the alumni {are] starting to rally behind us now,” Williams said.
Stranahan has a benefit that not all of the other Broward County reigning state champions have: the Mighty Dragons return several key players from last year’s state championship team.
Senior forward Inady Legiste is one of those key players. The 6-foot-7 Fab Five pick scored 35 points and brought in 15 rebounds in Stranahan’s two games in Lakeland.
“Inady improved big-time, especially with his weight-training program, “Williams said. ”He brings leadership. He’s very vocal on and off the court [and] leads by example. He just brings that positive energy, no matter what. If the game in going to not to our advantage, he still stays in that positive mindset.”
Also returning for his senior year is two-sport star Dave Herard. The senior guard also starred on the Stranahan football team and was a key player during the Mighty Dragons’ championship run.
“Overall, [he brings] energy,” Williams said. “Dave is just that burst of energy you need. No matter what the situation is, the guys are looking for Dave to just get that burst in. And once Dave gets that burst of energy, everybody feeds off it, even us as coaches.”
Those two key players are joined by Leonard Manuel, a football star who transferred from Ocala Vanguard. Manuel is a Florida commit for football, but he joined the team after taking time off from basketball. Williams said he is a talented player who will play a large role on the team.
“Definitely a potential Division I player,” Williams said. “[He] hasn’t played basketball in like two years, so he’s getting back into the swing of things. About midseason, he will be up and running fully.”
Williams is also expecting strong contributions from seniors Chayse Culpepper, Daquion Vickers and more.
That mix of players and experience puts Stranahan in a solid position to return to Lakeland and try to win the program’s second-ever state title.
“This year, we have a bigger [and deeper] team than last year,” Williams said. “Last year was probably the best team overall because they won the first state title in school history. But we’re pretty deep this year with the add-ons that enrolled at Stranahan.”
In addition to Stranahan, three other Broward County teams won state titles last season: Blanche Ely, University School and Westminster Academy. All three have had some degree of turnover since they celebrated in Lakeland.
Ely won its second straight championship last year, but the Tigers had several key players either graduate or transfer. Ely does have a mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen, though, and will still be competitive.
University School saw two of the most touted players in Broward County leave after last season. Star forward Vernon Carey Jr. graduated and is now playing for Duke, while five-star forward Scott Barnes transferred to powerhouse Montverde Academy. Additionally, coach Jim Carr was fired after one championship season.
New coach Ron Oliver, formerly an assistant coach at FAU, takes over a team that still has plenty of talent. Jace and Jett Howard, sons of former Miami Heat player and current Michigan coach Juwan Howard, return, as does promising sophomore Taylor Hendricks.
Westminster Academy is looking to become the second Broward County team to win four straight state championships. Fab Five sophomore Ben Middlebrooks and standout senior Stephan Swanson look to lead the Lions back to Lakeland after key players Sam Griffin and Chase Johnston graduated.
In Palm Beach County, one district is home to several of the area’s top teams. District 10-7A includes Forest Hill, Jupiter, Palm Beach Central, Palm Beach Lakes, Royal Palm Beach and Wellington. Each team in that district won at least 16 games last season, and Wellington was the Class 9A state runner-up.
Wellington and Palm Beach Lakes are likely the favorites in District 10-7A, but all six teams can compete come district tournament time.
Among smaller schools, St. Andrew’s has the most potential. The Scots were on the verge of earning a spot in the Final Four last season but fell just short. St. Andrew’s returns its key players, like Fab Five pick and Yale commit Yussif Basa-Ama and junior forward Joshua Minott, and the Scots are looking to make it to their first title game since 2013.