Vernon Hills senior Dylan Chung knows looks aren’t always deceiving.
Chung recalls having a slight 5-foot-8 frame when he became the Cougars’ starting point guard last season.
“I know that I’m undersized, and after last year I realized how much I needed to improve,” he said. “Getting bigger and stronger was a big way to do that. I thought I would be able to bring more to the table.”
Doing that work has actually put Chung at the head of the Cougars’ table this season. He isn’t any taller. But after adding more than 30 pounds of muscle to get to 165, Chung is averaging 12.4 points and 3.9 rebounds and is shooting 45% from 3-point range for Vernon Hills (12-9, 2-4), which will play Central Suburban North leader Niles North on Friday.
“We had a lot of good seniors graduate, so I figured I could be more of the main option this year, and that’s helped fuel my confidence in playmaking and scoring,” he said.
Chung, who scored 21 points in the Cougars’ loss to Lakes in a Class 3A regional semifinal to finish last season strong, made the all-tournament team at the Ridgewood Thanksgiving Tournament in November and was named the MVP of the Maine East Holiday Tournament in December.
“Even last year, he was a great kid to hand the keys to because he cares so much,” Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty said. “But by working his tail off, he became a different player, and he’s become more vocal. Kudos to him for making this happen.”
Chung began laying the foundation before last season ended by working with a trainer. His development took off during the summer, when he put up shot after shot, often accompanied by his father, David, who coached his AAU team through eighth grade.
Chung’s work in the weight room resulted in some impressive numbers. He said he can bench press more than 200 pounds and squat more than 300 pounds with multiple reps.
“My dad and I both knew that at my height, it wouldn’t be easy,” Chung said. “You can’t be scrawny and small and expect to succeed.”
Just looking in the mirror, Chung could see change was afoot, and he also noticed considerable differences on the court at the beginning of this season.
“I’m not getting pushed around much anymore,” he said. “I’m looking to rebound more on the defensive end and can box people out. It’s also helped my ability to score in the paint.”
Chung was already a good ballhandler, however, and that has proved essential for the Cougars too.
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Senior forward Deen Hatibovic has played alongside Chung for nearly a decade, so he is used to seeing Chung direct an offense. Hatibovic said that never gets old.
“He was that kid at 8 years old who would just dribble the ball around for hours,” Hatibovic said. “Every time a team presses us, we have no problem. I don’t think he’s had the ball stolen from him once this year. We just let him do his thing.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.