YOU’RE RUNNING down the court as fans cheer in the stands, your teammate makes a pass as you enter inside the paint, and swish, the team’s leading scorer makes a layup, and that’s game. Siblings, parents, friends, and peers fill the gym with whistles and cheers. Your team just won its first championship in the history of the school.
This is the same energy the Webb School felt after former Webb School girls basketball star Lashae Dwyer helped them win their first 2020-2021 state championship in school history.
The Toronto native is one of the most dynamic players to touch the Webb School’s basketball court. Dwyer played for the Webb girls basketball team during the 2020-2021 school year before moving on to the University of Miami, which was all the time she needed, to leave a lasting mark on her school, team, and community. This year she played in the Elite Eight NCAA tournament in Miami, Florida, furthering her skills in the ‘Magic City.’
Continuing her legacy on the court, Dwyer has broken barriers and achieved many “firsts.” She was the first Webb School player to earn the Gatorade Tennessee Girls Basketball Player of the Year award. This award exemplifies outstanding athletic and academic performance, along with exemplary character. The Gatorade Player of the Year award positioned her to be the best all around high school student- athlete.
During her time at the Webb School, the 5’6” point guard averaged 22.5 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and five steals per game.
Her former coach, Matt Shewmake, said, “She was an incredible defender. She was our best player. She was the best player in the state, in my opinion.”
Ranked in the top 100 players in the country, Dwyer was the first women’s basketball player at the Webb School to earn a Division 1 scholarship.
Shewmake said Dwyer’s tenacity made her stand out.
“She was incredibly tenacious. She was pretty quiet off the floor, kind of goofy, really silly, but whenever it was game time, she was very tenacious and locked in.
Shewmake said the day she walked on campus, the Webb School’s whole program changed. “It gave everybody a little more swag, just feeling confident that we had a chance to win against anybody, because of her.”
Shewmake said that he knew what the future would look like when she left.
“I knew what she attracted.”
He said he knew what it did to the trajectory of girls basketball. Dwyer paved the way for future players, as she was in the top 100 players. They now have four players in the top 50, and Shewmake credits Dwyer for pioneering greatness.
According to Main Street Preps, she played at The Patrick School in New Jersey for two seasons before transferring, her junior year, to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga. Hamilton Heights later ended its girls program, and Dwyer transferred to the Webb School to complete her last season in high school sports.
Aside from being named 2021 Gatorade Player of the Year, Dwyer was a BioSteel All Canadian Basketball Games nominee in 2020. GN
