By Bobby Narang
The West Suburban Conference Silver Division is having another banner season in high school boys basketball.
The conference has been among the top in Chicagoland for several decades, but the recent emergence of talented teams in recent years have taken the Silver Division to another level.
York had an epic two-plus season run to bring attention to the conference, but
Glenbard West helped speed up the process. The Hilltoppers brought the national headlines with an epic team filled with next-level players, Braden Huff, Caden Pierce, Ryan Renfro, Bobby Durkin and Paxton Warden, combined with a stellar 1-3-1 zone defense to win the Class 4A state championship in 2022. The Hilltoppers defeated Young in the 4A championship game to finish the season with the program’s first State championship.
The conference rode the success of Downers Grove North the next two seasons, but now might have a new team ready to take the mantle. Hinsdale Central is leading the conference with records of 21-2 and 6-1, just even with Glenbard West (17-4, 6-1), while Downers Grove North (18-6, 4-2), Lyons (8-11, 2-4), Proviso West (9-11, 2-5), Oak Park-River Forest (9-11, 2-5) and York (9-12, 1-5) round out the division.
The Red Devils are having a stellar season thanks in part to the outstanding play of senior guard Vince Buzelis. As the younger brother of Chicago Bulls first-round selection, Matas Buzelis, Vince is making his own name this season. He earned Most Valuable Player in the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. The 6-foot-4 Buzelis is averaging 21.5 points and 9.5 rebounds to be in the running for the conference player of the year. He has led the Red Devils in rebounds in 20 of the first 21 games played, while scoring in double figures in 18 games. The South Dakota recruit is the team leader in scoring, rebounding and assists.
Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers made a big move in the conference with a 54-35 victory over Downers Grove North last week, led by TJ Williams’ 11 points to win their first game over the Trojans since 2022. The Hilltoppers’ zone sparked the win.
“That’s our identity at Glenbard West, is playing our zone and trying to disrupt and create chaos and get in transition,” Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka said. “We did a good job of that.”
Downers Grove North coach Jim Thomas knows the Hilltoppers’ famed zone defense by heart, losing to the Hilltoppers three times in the championship season.
He said the current Glenbard West team is a tough matchup too
“They’re long,” Thomas said. “I think at one point in the first quarter we were six or seven possessions with turnovers. You cough up that many possessions, you’re not going to win a ball game.”
Williams is quickly establishing himself as one of the elite players in the state after a breakout season as a sophomore.
“TJ is so athletically gifted,” Opoka said. He can get to his spots and rise over defenders and put himself in situations to make pull-ups and get to the rim.”