This is the whole package that Vernon Hills’ Jeremy Zamost always envisioned.

That’s not to say Zamost hasn’t had plenty of good moments during his three-year varsity career. But the senior point guard has become a complete player at the most opportune time.

“I wish we would have won a few games that we lost, but as an individual, it’s been a lot of fun,” Zamost said. “I’ve always felt like my passing was solid, but the scoring wasn’t always there. But I feel like I’ve been playing pretty well and hopefully even better in the playoffs.”

Improving on his current run may be difficult to do because the 5-foot-11 Zamost is playing his best basketball to date. He’s averaging team highs of 14.9 points and 4.8 assists as well as 5.1 rebounds for Vernon Hills (21-9, 8-2), which finished second in the Central Suburban League North.

It’s no coincidence that the fifth-seeded Cougars, who will play 11th-seeded Amundsen in the Class 3A Wauconda Regional semifinals on Wednesday, have won eight of their past 10 games and go into their regular-season finale with the second-most wins in team history.

“My confidence in scoring continues to rise, and I trust that the shots will go in,” Zamost said. “All the training I do in the offseason helps, and I’m playing more aggressively. Before, sometimes I had open shots that I wouldn’t take, and I would just look to pass. I’m doing both now, and even my passing numbers have gone up.”

Vernon Hills’ Jeremy Zamost, left, drives against Niles West’s Asani Dixon during a Central Suburban League North game in Skokie on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Talia Sprague / News-Sun)

Vernon Hills operates better when Zamost, an all-conference pick, has the ball in his hands, in part because he knows exactly what to do in those situations. His three-year journey to get to that point started when he opted for a varsity promotion as a sophomore that didn’t result in a ton of playing time but readied him both mentally and physically for what was ahead.

Back then, Zamost went toe-to-toe with then-senior point guard Dylan Chung every day in practice.

“I got in Dylan’s face, and how hard we worked against each other was beneficial,” Zamost said. “It made me better but also pushed him to get better.”

Zamost learned that doing the little things could go a long way toward being effective. Although he was certain he was worthy of contributing, he had to wait until a span of games when Chung was sidelined with an ankle injury to show what he could do.

“The first game I played was at Maine East, and everyone was saying we’d lose by 20 because we didn’t have a point guard,” Zamost said. “I knew I could play at that level, and we ended up winning by a lot. That was the best feeling. I’ll never forget that game.”

Zamost has had several games to remember this season. Over the weekend, he was the catalyst for overtime wins over Maine East and Lakes on consecutive days.

In the latter game, Zamost went 14 for 15 from the free-throw line, and many of those points came as the Cougars rallied from a nine-point deficit with five minutes remaining in regulation.

“We were on the ropes, but we got into the bonus, Jeremy just kept attacking and they were struggling keeping in front of him,” said Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty, who recorded his 300th win that night. “He just kept pushing, pushing, pushing, and his footprint was on everyone’s play.”

Vernon Hills’ Jeremy Zamost (2) takes the ball to the basket against Deerfield’s Zach Friedman during a game in Vernon Hills on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (Rob Dicker / News-Sun)

Among Zamost’s other dominant games, he had a team-record 15 assists in a 52-28 win over Providence on Dec. 29 and scored a career-high 33 points in a 64-44 win over Grayslake North on Jan. 31.

“I felt like I couldn’t miss that game,” he said. “That was definitely a fun game.”

Zamost isn’t the only one having fun. Vernon Hills senior center Daniel Odhiambo‘s production has increased because of his chemistry with Zamost.

“He really knows how to get me the ball,” Odhiambo said. “If the defense helps off of me, it gives him an easy layup, and we run pick-and-roll really well. The other night against Maine South, it worked perfectly, and I got a wide-open dunk off it.

“Basketball is more fun when you have a good point guard.”

Zamost has offers from Benedictine and North Carolina Wesleyan to play basketball in college, and he hopes to attract even more attention down the stretch. If he continues to play at this level, the Cougars will benefit too.

“Recruiting has been on my mind, but that will be more of a focus after the season,” he said. “The biggest priority right now is winning so that we can keep playing together for as long as possible.”

Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/19/vernon-hills-high-school-basketball-jeremy-zamost/