Kit Mueller realized he had to grow up before he could become a good basketball player–two inches and 20 pounds worth of growing up, to be exact. Last season as a sophomore, Mueller played on the Downers Grove South varsity. He was a forward and averaged 10 points a game coming off the bench. As a 6-foot-5-inch, 205-pound junior, Mueller is scoring 22 points a game while playing center.
Saturday, the Mustangs (16-3, 7-0 in the Des Plaines Valley League)
stopped Hinsdale Central 68-51. That followed a conference drubbing of Willowbrook 64-32 Friday.
What happened between seasons helped make Mueller the player he is today. ”He got serious with weights,” said Mustangs` coach Dick Flaiz. ”He did grow two inches and added about 20 pounds. He`s become a lot stronger. He`s progressed more and more. Those weights were the biggest factor in his emergence.”
Mueller found that a few hours a day in the gym translated into more muscle and greater strength. The better to compete in the Des Plaines Valley League, Mueller reasoned.
”Lots of people talked to me about using weights,” Mueller said.
”Coach Flaiz was one of them. I really needed to put on some pounds. It has given me confidence. Hey, there`s a lot of pushing underneath.”
This season, all has gone as planned for Mueller. The Mustangs are winning and he is progressing.
”Getting that varsity time last year gave me so much confidence for this year,” Mueller said. ”I learned so much. Now, I`m starting to try to be more of a rebounder, more of a total player than one dimensional.”
That dimension is inside shooting.
”Kit hasn`t developed an outside shot yet,” Flaiz said. ”He`s working on it. I guess when a fellow can score inside as well as Kit can, he`s reluctant to move outside. I guess it`s tough to take your leading scorer away from around the basket.”
Mr. Inside believes he can also be Mr. Outside.
”My outside shots are pretty bad,” Mueller said. ”I know that if I want to play in college, I have to work on outside shooting. The dimension I have is working, so now it`s a matter of developing the other. Hopefully, I will by my senior year.”
Flaiz has one other message to Mueller: Be more aggressive.
”I`m more laid back,” Mueller said. ”I think my aggressiveness is there, but I show it in different ways. If I get pushed, I won`t push back. I`m there to win the game. That`s all.”
