Mirjam Swanson
NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- Although it was unclear what it was, it was
quite obvious Hoover High boys' tennis player Sergy Vagramian had said --
or done -- something.
"Sergy! I will kill you!" said Dylan Kim, the Tornadoes' top player,
in his best English yet.
"I'm not kidding. I'm serious. I will kill you. Tomorrow."
Kim wasn't serious. Of course he wasn't.
Otherwise his threat wouldn't have elicited so many giggles from those
seated on the bench watching the doubles teams put the finishing touches
on Hoover's 18-0 thrashing of Montebello Schurr on May 16 in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs.
Understand, this season's out-of-nowhere Hoover squad is, by Coach
Lynn Santamaria's design, all about having a good time.
So Kim is a perfect fit. And Hoover is a good fit for Kim, who was the
top-ranked 16-year-old in South Korea before he and his family moved to
the United States.
His experience with the Tornadoes has taught Kim -- who hadn't
actually attended class since he was in elementary school and spoke no
English before arriving in the United States 11 months ago -- something
about teamwork, about the language and about the local culture, if not
about tennis.
For all the depth, tournament experience, talent and comedians that
the Tornadoes -- who are 23-1 as they enter the CIF final against Palos
Verdes Peninsula at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Claremont Tennis Center
-- boast, Kim is the star.
The 17-year-old junior who immigrated to Glendale from Seoul 11 months
ago, is the best of arguably the best high school singles lineup in
Southern California.
He's strong. He's 5 feet 11, 160 pounds. More, he's dedicated. He's
smart. He's bought into the concept that tennis can make him a better
person.
He isn't yet as good as former Glendale standout Robert Yim -- now
ranked No. 41 in the world junior rankings, and No. 2 in the USTA
18-and-under rankings -- but he almost surely would have given Yim the
best set of any local if Yim were doing the high-school-tennis thing and
not traveling the world playing tournaments.
As for Kim's participation in the high school scene, Kim reached the
quarterfinals in the CIF individual tournament before bowing out to
runner-up Doug Stewart of Malibu, 6-3, 6-3.
Kim has lost just two games in the postseason after losing just one
set in a team match this year -- to Crescenta Valley's Stanley
Sarapanich.
But that didn't bother Kim much. Hoover team manager Jane Moon said
