'It's been a quick year for me': Zach Hayn wraps up collegiate career with Rutgers men's basketball
With time running out in the Rutgers men’s basketball team’s late February game over Michigan, graduate student guard Zach Hayn received a pass from senior guard Aiden Terry at the top of the key. Hayn ranged over to the right wing before sweeping across the lane and finishing a contested left-handed layup.
Hayn’s first basket for the Scarlet Knights capped off a dominant 30-point Rutgers victory and sent almost everyone inside Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus into a frenzy.
“I look right at the bench, and everyone is losing their mind, and my dad is just chilling, laid back, no reaction, just another day, just 2 more points,” Hayn jokingly said about his basket against the Wolverines.
Hayn, who is the son of assistant coach and chief of staff of the men’s basketball team, transferred to the Knights as a walk-on after playing three seasons at Division III Hartwick College. He originally hails from Brooklyn.
Hayn played 403 minutes during his three seasons with the Hawks and scored 64 points. Though he got far fewer minutes at Rutgers than he did playing for Hartwick, Hayn still made an impact off the court by scouting the Knights’ opponents and mimicking opposing teams’ guards during practice.
Despite scoring his first points at Rutgers in its game against the Wolverines, Hayn’s favorite memory from the year was the Knights’ victory against Seton Hall.
“One thing that definitely stood out to me was beating Seton Hall this year on their court,” Hayn said. “That’s something that we haven’t done in a while as a program. I remember being in the stands, what was it like 5 or 6 years ago, and being at the Prudential Center, watching the guys lose a tough one. Just being able to be a part of that win as a player was a special moment.”
Hayn has many fond memories from the past season, but overall, the 6-foot-2 student-athlete's season was a blur.
“It’s been a quick year for me,” Hayn said.
Hayn will get his degree in May, and is majoring in labor employment relations.
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