If Brandon Dwyer was going to have his college basketball moment he knew that this had to be it. The Florida Gulf Coast walk-on ran to the corner, slid up to the wing off of a screen and caught it as he faced the basket with 2:51 to go in the Eagles’ eventual 96-60 win over New College. Here was his chance.
Had anyone else in the country caught it in that moment it would’ve been a non-story in an empty gym. In a way, it would’ve been merely a matter of formality as the clock wound down on a blowout win for this Florida Gulf Coast team. Alico Arena was still seemingly as full as it’d been all night and every eye inside of it was watching to see if Dwyer could do it, though.
When Dwyer set his feet, pushed himself off the floor and raised the ball above his head as if to indicate that he was firing away, everyone on Florida Gulf Coast’s bench rose up with him. The only excuse for someone in that gym not knowing the significance of the shot Dwyer was about to take was ignorance. Pat Chambers’ FGCU team was far from that.
Dwyer is college basketball’s greatest enigma. He’s the most well known player on Florida Gulf Coast’s roster–and perhaps in program history–by a significant margin as a result of his TikTok and Instagram fame. Yet, he hadn’t scored a point prior to Monday’s season opener, hadn’t played significant minutes in a non-blowout and hasn’t had any expectation of being a consistent contributor since arriving at FGCU in 2022.
But, here he was with everyone in the arena’s eyes placed squarely on him.
When Dwyer rose up and released the jump shot that would eventually become one of college basketball’s best opening-night stories, he firmly believed that he missed and would shortly take the air out of the building as he kept those in attendance waiting a little bit longer for his breakthrough moment as a college basketball player.
“Full honesty,” Dwyer told Basket Under Review, “It felt weird when it came off. I was like ‘oh no.’”
Dwyer had already added some pressure to that shot he took from the right wing when he shot it off the side of the backboard and missed his first shot of the night as badly as his head coach had seen him miss one. If it had ended there and Dwyer’s theory was correct, it would’ve added extra salt in the wound.
In the first eight appearances of his career, Dwyer had attempted a field goal in three of them and had never attempted more than one in a game. Had this ended poorly, it would’ve marked the first time the walk-on had attempted more than one shot in a game and would’ve netted the same result. That reality paired with the idea that this game–in which Florida Gulf Coast appeared to be facing an overmatched opponent–was circled on Dwyer’s calendar could’ve sealed his fate on his journey to score his first point.
Outside of Monday night’s opener, Florida Gulf Coast has just one non Division-I game on its schedule and plays in mostly tightly-contested games. When it’s up by a significant amount, it generally avoids emptying its bench in an effort to boost its NET ranking with big margins of victory. It likely wouldn’t have been the only chance for Dwyer to play, but it appeared to be his best opportunity.
Florida Gulf Coast freshman guard Gabe Tanner knew prior to Monday’s game that getting Dwyer an open look or two had to be a priority if the pair was in the game together. As a result, he told Dwyer prior to the game that he’d be looking for him. With a late second-half play call drawn up with the intention to get Dwyer a touch, Chambers didn’t give his freshman guard much of a chance but to keep his word to his veteran teammate and mentor.
Perhaps it was basketball destiny. Perhaps it was the culmination of Dwyer’s countless hours of service to Florida Gulf Coast’s basketball program. In any case, when Dwyer strayed open and fired it up it bounced off the back of the cylinder and went through the net.
“It was just a surreal and rewarding feeling,” Dwyer said. “I didn’t really know what I did, I kind of blacked out. I had to re-watch the footage after the game to see what I did.”
When Dwyer re-examined the footage he couldn’t miss the visual of himself throwing up his arms with three fingers raised as if to indicate that he knew the magnitude of the moment he had just created. When he got back on defense, he made sure to sneak in an aggressive fist pump before engaging in the possession.
The notorious walk-on had finally gotten the 1,000 pound bag of bricks off of his back. He had finally scored.
“I was just head over heels for him because he seemed so happy,” Tanner—who recorded the assist on Dwyer’s first career basket—said. “The crowd was amazing and the whole team was going crazy for him.”
It was a movie-like scene in Alico Arena in the ensuing moments. The crowd erupted like it rarely has since the Eagles’ golden era in 2013. Chambers rose from his seat on the bench and fit pumped. Freshman guard Matt McCarthy–who screened for Dwyer prior to his make–raised both of his hands in disbelief while FGCU’s rotational players jumped up and down like kids on the bench.
“Nobody left [the gym],” Chambers told Basket Under Review in regard to the end of game crowd. “The explosion when that ball went through was like Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, The Beatles—you can pick out whoever you want—walking into the building. It was like that type of eruption.”
Before it was over, Dwyer knocked down another shot from 3-point range and brought his scoring total to six with a 66.7% field goal percentage. He now has six more points as a college basketball player than LeBron James—who never played college basketball—does, Florida Gulf Coast noted on social media.
The worst kept secret surrounding FGCU’s program was how much this particular game meant to Dwyer and how it could change his life. He admits he had felt the weight of the importance of it since announcing his return for a fifth season in the spring. All the weight appeared to turn to joy on Monday night for Dwyer and his camp.
“I may have shed a little tear of joy,” Dwyer’s cameraman and best friend Michael Zeidel said in regard to Dwyer’s first make. “I had a friend who told me ‘dude, you nearly passed out’ and I was like ‘dude, I was so happy. When the second bucket went in, I was like ‘this is not reality, this is like an AI movie.’”
By the end of said movie, Dwyer was sitting at his locker with a blank sheet of paper inscribed with the number six. It was Wilt Chamberlin-esque and is an image that will follow Dwyer for the rest of his life.
Whenever he sees the image, it will symbolize the idea that he’s no longer college basketball’s most notable scoreless player. He now gets to experience life in the post “Road to One Point” era.
“I feel really relieved and I’m ready to retire,” Dwyer joked, “Let’s make March Madness and then I’m hanging up the shoes.”
In the days following Dwyer’s arrival on Florida Gulf Coast’s campus in 2022 after playing his freshman season at La Salle, he felt as if his family and friends weren’t really picking up the difference between his Delaware hometown and the “105 degree, sunny” conditions that he now embraced at the beach.
The videos eventually turned into a 20-day “day in the life” series that Dwyer posted on Tiktok and “somehow” picked up traction. When he met Zeidel, he had around 10,000 followers and the two connected over their desires to become social media influencers on a full-time basis one day. With Zeidel’s help, Dwyer branched out into other content that helped him build up a more complete portfolio.
Dwyer’s most notable touch with fame came early in his social media career when a “random kid” stitched–the TikTok equivalent of a retweet–a basketball-related video of him with the note that Dwyer had never scored or recorded a stat. The video eclipsed a million views by the time it was finished circulating. At that point, the FGCU walk-on had a choice to make.
He could choose to ignore the storyline that surrounded him and act like he was above it. Or, he could swallow his pride and embrace it.
“From there on, I kind of just leaned into it,” Dwyer said. “I think whatever happens, you’ve just gotta take it with a positive attitude. Thankfully I was able to do that with not scoring for five years and that was one of the most gratifying things that’s happened to me.”
Dwyer’s first TikTok post following the stitch he received referenced the dichotomy of him walking into Alico Arena knowing that he likely would not see the floor or attempt a shot.
The reaction to Dwyer taking the commentary surrounding him in stride led to viewers gravitating towards him because of his perceived ability to take a joke. Dwyer has taken that affection and ran with it.
Dwyer sits at 1.3 million TikTok followers, his TikTok announcing that he’d scored his first basket received 2.8 million views. Perhaps the most recognizable indicator of Dwyer’s rise was his “Road to One Point” series that had become his calling card.
Some love Dwyer’s sense of humor. Some hate him for what they believe is an undeserved platform. Most within his age bracket appear to know him one way or another, though.
“A lot of times a lot of us are getting asked if we know him,” Florida Gulf Coast guard Rahmir Barno told Basket Under Review. “I think it helps us grow the program because he has a huge following.”
Dwyer is a transcendent enough figure that when Florida Gulf Coast travels, he’s the one that’s often yelled at by opposing student sections during layup lines instead of the scholarship players that will dictate the outcome of the game. Dwyer says the idea that he’s only yelled at by opposing student sections prior to tip off is futile, as well.
The FGCU walk-on is consistently the center of attention for opposing fans while he sits on the bench and watches his teammates shoot free throws or when he runs on the floor to give out high fives at media timeouts. Oftentimes, opposing students will bring signs to mock Dwyer while letting off his teammates easily.
Dwyer knows he’s a spectacle for one reason or another and is embracing it.
“I think that’s so funny,” Dwyer said. “That’s pretty cool. When I go to Chipotle and a little kid comes up to me and says ‘hey, are you Brandon? Can I get a picture?’ That will never get old. People ask me if I ever get tired of getting recognized in public and I’m like ‘no, that’s awesome. I make silly, goofy videos and people want to take pictures with me. I don’t even have a point, well, not anymore.’”
Chambers has two of his former players from Boston University alongside him on the FGCU staff and says that both of them are in a group chat with the other members of BU’s 2010-2011 team—which made the NCAA Tournament—and that the subject is often how Chambers has softened his stance on social media.
That team was at its peak as Twitter and social media as a whole was brand new. Chambers wasn’t having any of it and strongly discouraged his players from having an online presence during the season. His tune has changed, though.
Everyone around this program—including Dwyer— has had to rewire their brains in regard to what they know—and thought they knew—about social media and the way it can change lives as well as programs.
“It’s hard for me to describe that,” Dwyer said. “I had no idea any of this would happen or the ‘Road to One Point’ would be a thing, I didn’t think I’d not score for five years. I couldn’t have even imagined all this that’s happened.”
The stands were empty in Wilmington, North Carolina, the night before Florida Gulf Coast took the floor against UNC Wilmington, but Dwyer was fully engaged in the task at hand. The real FGCU and UNCW teams would take the floor the next day, but for now it was up to managers, grad assistants and walk-ons to duke it out.
Manager games are generally common around the country, but walk-ons are often shunned for a reason that Dwyer seemingly proved that night. By the time the lights were turned off in the gym that evening, Dwyer had 49 points and had completely taken over the game while subsequently lending credence to the idea that even those on Division-I rosters who don’t score a single point as college basketball players are a level above the average joe.
“All my friends at home see his TikToks and social media and they’re always texting me ‘is he actually good? Is he really good?” Tanner said, “I was like ‘if you guys ever came here and played him he would really fry you guys, he would give it to you guys.’”
Dwyer averaged 8.9 points per game as a senior in high school on a state championship team and likely could’ve pursued a Division-II or Division-III route, but chose the walk-on life instead. The FGCU walk-on has seen plenty like him come and go over the years, but says he’s had staying power because he’s bought into his role as “the bench guy, the practice player, the guy who might have to carry an extra bag in the airport.”
All the while, those within Florida Gulf Coast’s program have seen what Dwyer can do–particularly when he has an open look. He never knew if he’d be able to make it pay off, but Dwyer’s teammates all appeared to notice the work he’d done with his jump shot leading up to FGCU’s opener. The production he proved to be capable of in those workouts is indicative of the level he can do this at.
“There’s just so many levels to college basketball,” Dwyer said. “Me compared to an average Joe, I’m pretty good. But, me compared to the best guy on our team and I look like an average Joe. There’s just levels to everything.”
Dwyer never claims to be among the highest tier of college basketball–and that’s perhaps his greatest appeal to the viewing audience–but he’s accomplished what he’s set out to do. The ride of a lifetime has been completed.
Perhaps there’s still something out there for the Florida Gulf Coast walk-on, though.
“I don’t know what the next road is,” Zeidel said. “I don’t know if it’s “Road to Starting, Road to 10 Points,’ I’m not sure. But, it’s been full circle, for sure.”
