Still just 35 years old, Zach Hahn, left, is already in his 10th season as Center Grove’s coach.
Daily Journal file photo
Zach Hahn is at an age where many of his contemporaries are beginning to surface as viable head coaching prospects at high schools around the state.
The obvious difference being that the 35-year-old Hahn, who is almost halfway through his 10th season at Center Grove, already has 139 career victories stashed away.
On Dec. 1, the Trojans’ 55-44 downing of visiting Bloomington North vaulted the New Castle native to the top of the program’s career wins list, bypassing former CG mentor Tom Jones, who went 138-91 from 1969-79.
Hahn, who accepted the job two weeks before his 25th birthday, has compiled a 139-91 mark going into tonight’s game at Martinsville.
Perhaps most impressive is the fact Hahn wasn’t even aware he was in a position to make history until a couple hours before the game against Bloomington North.
“For me, it’s … I love the game of basketball,” Hahn said. “To be honest, the coaching part, I could stop tomorrow and be okay. But I came to Center Grove because I saw the community, and I saw an opportunity, I thought, to build a program.
“Not everything has went the way I wanted. But I’m also not a coach that sets goals each season for myself, or for us collectively as a team. The goal is to get better every day. The goal is to play our best basketball at the end of the season. And then results will take care of themselves if you do that.”
A total of 26 men have held the Center Grove coaching reins. Bill Zych, who led Trojan teams for 12 years (1992-2004) before moving onto Pike and more recently Southport, remains Center Grove’s leader in games coached with 258. Hahn is second with 230, and his .604 win percentage is third among those who were at the helm for a minimum of five seasons. Earl “Swede” Chambers (1931-38) tops the list at .635, followed by Larry Cline (1959-63 and 1964-66) at .618.
Former CG mentors Cliff Hawkins (2004-14, 126-95) and Zych (1992-2004, 125-113) drop to third and fourth, respectively, on the career wins chart.
Moreover, Hahn-coached squads are responsible for four of the five sectional titles that Center Grove has secured since the four-class system was put in place before the 1997-98 season. His 2018-19 ball club advanced to the Class 4A semistate before losing to eventual state champion Ben Davis, 67-61.
Former Center Grove athletic director Jon Zwitt, now retired and living in Florida with his wife Kristen, isn’t surprised Hahn has succeeded the way he has.
It was Zwitt, after all, who raised eyebrows and touched off conversations with his hiring of the former Butler University shooting guard at such a tender age.
“When we interviewed him, we had a good slate of candidates, but Zach played at a high level in high school and played at a high level in college,” Zwitt said. “We had cut it down to the final eight, and Zach just showed by his maturity level and his energy level that he was the right person for the job.
“He was a well-prepared coach, and obviously there were years he had some pretty good talent. But even when he didn’t have a lot of talent, he did a good job.”
Hahn and his wife Lindsey started a family right around the time Zach took the Center Grove job. Their son Kam is a third-grader, while daughter Riley is a kindergartener.
All are immersed in Center Grove boys basketball in one way or another, providing memories that will endure.
“One of my coaches just sent me a picture of (Lindsey) at our JV game last week, and she’s the only one standing up, pumping her fist for an and-one,” Hahn said. “That’s the kind of stuff that makes it special.
“(Kam) now plays basketball. He sits right behind the bench with all his buddies. My daughter is up there wanting to be a cheerleader. It’s a family affair, and I’m thankful for that.”
Hahn is also quick to credit the input of CG assistant coaches Troy Burkhart, Brian Keeton, Matt Goodpaster and Ryan Harden. The head coach gets the wins and losses added to his resume, but it truly is a team effort.
“My staff is a huge part of this,” Hahn said. “They are unbelievable. Great with the kids. Such high IQ. They challenge me every day. Hey, let’s try this. Let’s do this. I’m not the smartest guy in the room. I never have been.
“I don’t know if anybody loves the game as much as I do, but these other guys make me better.”
Zych’s 12 seasons on the bench makes him the longest-tenured coach at CG, followed by Jones (10), Hawkins (10) and Hahn (nine-plus). Hahn’s youth – he turns 36 on May 11 – would likely make him a shoo-in to establish marks that might never be approached at Center Grove should he continue to coach into his 40s, 50s and possibly beyond.
He’s not thinking that far ahead.
“Honestly, for me right now, I just take things day by day,” Hahn said. “I will say it is hard because people don’t realize this about coaches, but we put all of our time into other people’s kids. But I love being here. I love getting to coach basketball.
“When it’s played the right way, it’s such a fun game to watch. To me, it’s the great equalizer sport. There are underdogs that can be top dogs, and you don’t see that very often in other sports. I think that’s what makes it a lot of fun for me.”
