The silence was uncanny.  The Vandermeer Gym was packed with spectators, but the only discernible sound was the squeak of the players’ shoes. The referees’ whistles that are rarely heard over the noise of the crowd were suddenly very loud.

The buzzer was unbearably deafening and the whistles were piercing to the ears. As the ball arced in the air and passed through the net for the tenth point, the crowd erupted into thunderous shouting and applause.

“When the students erupted on the 10th point, the intensity turned up a notch and the energy on the court went to another level,” Senior Anderson McCoy said. “Throughout the game the fans were loud and it was an amazing atmosphere to play in.”

“Hush for Hahn” occurred during Senior Night on Friday, Feb 28 and was put together by the Center Grove Administration and Campus Life.  Brian Henderson got the idea for “Hush for Hahn’ from a similar event that originated at Taylor University.

Taylor University’s “Silent Night” became popular after it was featured on ESPN.  The crowd was instructed to remain silent until the home team scored its tenth point, then the fans were encouraged to cheer as loud as they could.

“It was awkward at first playing in total silence, but once we got to that 10th point we felt like nothing could stop us,” senior Carson Lee said. “We really fed off the energy of the crowd.”

The coordinators for “Hush for Hahn’’ got the help of multiple students to help spread awareness of the event to students and teachers alike.  These same students then led the student section, located on the south side of the Vandermeer Gym, in several chants and games.

“The idea is to have the crowd be involved in the game,” senior Drew Martin, one of the students that helped make “Hush for Hahn” a reality.