Sunny Hills coach Jae Byun, right, gets a hug after his team won the CIF Southern California Division III Regional playoff over Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista in Fullerton on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Sunny Hills head coach Jae Byun on the sidelines during the Lancers’ 61-45 victory over Legacy of South Gate in the semifinals of the girls basketball CIF Southern California Division III Regionals at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Jae Byun, who is now the Sunny Hills girls basketball coach, is shown during a boys basketball game against La Habra in 2009. (File photo: Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sunny Hills’ Sarah Rus celebrates a 61-45 victory over Legacy of South Gate in the semifinals of their girls basketball CIF Southern California Division III Regionals at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sunny Hills players react as their teammates score another basket to keep the score close late in the fourth period during the CIF Southern California Division III Regional playoff in Fullerton on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)



Sunny Hills’ Karis Chun, right, and Maya Rayyan, left, hug Jaqueline Bana, center, as they celebrate winning the CIF Southern California Division III Regional playoff over Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista in Fullerton on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Sunny Hills’ Jessica Barrow, center, scores a basket as she moves around Mater Dei Catholic’s Niala Mitchell, left, during the CIF Southern California Division III Regional playoff in Fullerton on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Sunny Hills’ Kayli Arii, left, and Keisha Floresca, second from left, celebrate with teammates after winning the CIF Southern California Division III Regional playoff over Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista in Fullerton on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Sunny Hills’ fans celebrate during the Lancers’ 61-45 victory over Legacy of South Gate in the semifinals of the girls basketball CIF Southern California Division III Regionals at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sunny Hills’ Shenise West, right, fights to strip the ball away from Mater Dei’s Niala Mitchell, left, in the CIF Southern California Division III Regional playoff in Fullerton on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)



Sunny Hills’ Jessica Barrow scores past the defense of Legacy of South Gate during the Lancers’ 61-45 victory in the semifinals of the girls basketball CIF Southern California Division III Regionals at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Sunny Hills’ bench cheers on their teammates during the Lancers’ 61-45 victory over Legacy of South Gate in the semifinals of the girls basketball CIF Southern California Division III Regionals at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sunny Hills’ Shenise West, right, looks to grab a rebound over Mater Dei Catholic’s Niala Mitchell, left, in the CIF Southern California Division III Regional playoffin Fullerton on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

Sunny Hills’ Jessica Barrow scores past Legacy of South Gate’s Akilah Watson during the Lancers’ 61-45 victory in the semifinals of the girls basketball CIF Southern California Division III Regionals at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sunny Hills head coach Jae Byun on the sidelines during the Lancers’ 61-45 victory over Legacy of South Gate in the semifinals of the girls basketball CIF Southern California Division III Regionals at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)



Sunny Hills’ Shenise West battles for a rebound with Legacy of South Gate’s Arianna Harper during the Lancers’ 61-45 victory in the semifinals of the girls basketball CIF Southern California Division III Regionals at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sunny Hills’ Lauren Scambray hits a three-pointer past Legacy of South Gate’s Melanie Lopez during the Lancers’ 61-45 victory in the semifinals of the girls basketball CIF Southern California Division III Regionals at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sunny Hills’ Kayli Arii hits a three-pointer past the defense of Legacy of South Gate during the Lancers’ 61-45 victory in the semifinals of the girls basketball CIF Southern California Division III Regionals at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan/Orange County Register/SCNG)

FULLERTON – Jae Byun believed he had earned the ideal college internship, a coveted spot in his field with a Fortune 500 company.

During the summer before his senior year at UC Irvine, he worked on finances in the legal department of Broadcom, located near campus. A business economics major, Byun took home about $19 an hour – a king’s ransom for the college student – and sipped on the free coffee.

There was just one problem.

“I just started to have a change of heart,” he said.

Byun yearned to coach and teach but had followed the encouragement of his parents toward a business degree. He soon made some bold changes.

He accepted a walk-on coaching position at Sunny Hills High – his alma mater – and moved back home with his parents as he began to work on his teaching credentials.

The twists haven’t stopped. The 25-year-old, full-time coach and teacher emerged this winter as the architect of one of the best turnaround stories in Orange County high school sports, leading an unheralded Sunny Hills girls basketball team to a CIF State championship game Friday in Sacramento.

Now, his heart can’t stop racing from excitement.

“I woke up on Sunday after two hours of sleep and thought I was dreaming,” Byun said. “Are we really going to Sacramento?”

The Lancers (24-10) play for the Division III title Friday at 2 p.m. at Golden 1 Center against West Campus (28-7), a past state champion located just 20 minutes from the arena.

RELATED: Sunny Hills-West Campus matchup

Sunny Hills’ rise has been surprising because in the city of Fullerton, nearby Troy is a girls basketball powerhouse that attracts the top players and often reached the state finals.

The Lancers have mostly finished in the middle of the pack in the Freeway League in recent years but were at a low point the season before Byun took over the program. In 2015-16, he was an assistant to boys basketball coach Joe Ok when he watched the girls endure a heart-breaking loss in league against Buena Park.

The Lancers finished 9-17 that winter and later were seeking a new coach. Byun saw an opportunity that fit his background.

As a Sunny Hills senior for Coach John Wooldridge and Ok, then an assistant, Byun helped lead a renaissance of the school’s boys basketball program. He was a 5-foot-9, pass-first point guard in 2010 when the Lancers won their first league title in eight years.

Byun’s nickname around Sunny Hills is “The Legend” but he dismisses it as a joke.

“Everything I know about basketball I learned through Wooldridge and Ok,” Byun said.

Sunny Hills’ girls went 17-12 in his first season, winning one playoff game.

This past summer, while the school’s gym underwent refurbishments, Sunny Hills practiced on the outdoor courts and committed to more conditioning.

Byun’s up-tempo offense then delivered results. Point guard Kayli Arii, shooting guard Lauren Scambray and forward Jessica Barrow have been major 3-point threats.

Barrow has grown into one of the county’s top players.

“He’s very inspiring,” Arii said of Byun. “He’s been in our spot .. He understands what it takes to be great.”

Byun also developed Shenise West as a center to anchor the team’s 2-3 zone. Late in the regular season, he inserted hustling forward Sarah Rus into the starting lineup to focus on defense and rebounding. Both are first-year varsity players.

“He is a program changer,” Ok said.

Said Rus of Byun, “Without him, we would not be right here n this moment.”

Byun also is a burst of energy. In the playoffs, he has splashed water with players and bounced with them after victories.

As Sunny Hills celebrated its first regional title Saturday, he pointed to his parents, Michelle and James, in the stands. It was a moment that no Fortune 500 company could match.

“They (now) say, ‘We’re so glad you went into teaching,’” Byun said. “They say, ‘this is what you were meant to do.’ … I’m really happy, too.”