Hinsdale Central senior Vincas Buzelis has always been a Chicago Bulls fan.
That was true even before the Bulls selected his older brother, Matas, with the 11th pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
Vincas Buzelis, a 6-foot-4 guard who can play any position, estimates he has attended seven or eight Bulls games this season. That’s one of the perks of being related to one of the players.
“It’s nice having him play in the NBA,” Vincas Buzelis said. “You can be around the players. They can give you some advice. They can tell you what to do here and there.”
They encourage him to believe in himself.
“They tell me to stay confident,” Vincas Buzelis said. “(Matas) said to stay confident always, just trust your game, work on your game a lot.”
Vincas Buzelis has followed that advice. His work ethic is top-notch, and his confidence is through the roof.
“He’s really developed,” Hinsdale Central coach Nick Latorre said. “Last year, his shooting wasn’t great. He’s worked exceptionally hard to improve his shooting, and he’s always had a really good spring.
“He’s really a lockdown defender, and he’s a great rebounder, so he’s real versatile and very unselfish and coachable, and he’s constantly trying to get better.”
Vincas Buzelis, who has committed to South Dakota, is enjoying a breakout second varsity season. He’s averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for the Red Devils (6-2).
During Hinsdale Central’s 65-44 win against York on Dec. 14, Vincas Buzelis led all players with 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting and also had three rebounds, three assists and a steal in three quarters of action in front of a crowd that included his brother. He sank a pair of 3-pointers, threw down a dunk in transition and also scored on a nifty lay-in off an inbounds pass from senior guard Dillon Dell.
Senior guard Dillon Orozco said Vincas Buzelis’ work ethic has rubbed off on the rest of the Red Devils.
“You can tell his leadership with everything he does,” Orozco said. “We all just want to win at the end of the day, and he works extremely hard. It pushes me and my other teammates to go hard, just him leading by example.
“Obviously, he works with his brother, so he’s like a gym rat. That’s kind of what he does.”
Indeed, basketball is a passion for the Buzelis family. Vincas and Matas Buzelis’ father, Aidas Buzelis, played professionally in Lithuania; their mother, Kristina Jankauskaite, played in the Lithuanian youth system; and one of their grandfathers also played professionally in Lithuania.
Matas Buzelis played on Hinsdale Central’s sophomore team as a freshman but never played for the varsity team. He transferred to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire for his sophomore year.
“I wasn’t smart enough,” Latorre quipped about his decision to leave Matas Buzelis on the sophomore team. “But he was really skinny and only 6-3 or 6-4 that year.
“We were hoping Matas would stay here, but his sophomore year was the COVID year, and we weren’t sure if we would have a season.”
After two years at Brewster Academy, Matas Buzelis transferred to Sunrise Christian in Kansas. Vincas Buzelis, who played on Hinsdale Central’s sophomore team as a freshman, joined Matas at Sunrise as a sophomore and returned to the Red Devils last season.
Through all the changes and the hype surrounding his brother, Vincas Buzelis has kept a good perspective, according to Latorre.
“Nothing really changes,” Latorre said. “I coach him like I coached him last year before Matas was in the NBA. I think the (opposing) fans have been on him a little bit, but he’s been fine. He’s very mature, and he’s been able to play through that kind of stuff.”
Indeed, Vincas Buzelis ignores any ribbing he gets and doesn’t pay attention to his individual numbers.
“The fans are just there,” he said. “I just play my game.
“If I score 20, if I score 2, as long as we get the win, it doesn’t really matter how much I score. It’s about the win. That’s all I really care about. I really don’t care about stats. I’m going to do what I need to do to help my team win.”
The Red Devils could do a lot of winning this season. They’re averaging 63.6 points, and their two losses, to Rockford Guilford and Glenbard West, have been by a combined five points.
“We’re clicking on all cylinders,” Vincas Buzelis said. “When we share the ball, we’re really good. Everyone is a scoring threat. We’re just a very good team.”
One that is determined to get better and is led by someone who leads by example in that regard.
“I think everything is my strength, but I also think I can work on everything,” Vincas Buzelis said. “I need to work on my defense, work on my shot a little more, my pull-up.”
In the short term, that effort is geared toward taking the Red Devils as far as they can go. But Vincas Buzelis has the highest aspirations for the long term. He wants to play with or against his brother again.
“I’m playing in the league,” Vincas Buzelis said. “All through my life, that’s what I’ve wanted to do.”
Yet it wasn’t until last summer that he began to think playing in the NBA was realistic.
“I first thought I could make it pro when my (private) coach, Steve Pratt, told me, ‘You can go pro with the way you practice, the way you handle situations.’
“So I give a lot of credit to him. He put a lot of confidence into me.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
