Before she even stepped on the court to play what would end up being High School South’s last game of the season on February 28, girls’ basketball star Gabi Hahn had already amassed 330 points this season.
As one of South’s leading contributors, the junior has established herself as a team leader. But the beginning of her basketball career was not a typical one.
Hahn grew very quickly as a child, and her exceptional height got her noticed for a variety of sports. She began playing travel soccer, where she struggled, and eventually decided to try her hand at basketball in the fifth grade. “Because of her height, she was identified by local travel team coaches,” recalled her mother, Beth.
Hahn worked hard, attending different camps and clinics. Because of her height, she was assigned to the post. Heading into her seventh grade year, Hahn made the team because of her height, both she and her mother admit. “Initially, I was not very good at basketball,” says Hahn. “I wasn’t very coordinated. I hadn’t developed enough yet.”
But that changed during her seventh grade year. “Something clicked,” said her mother. “All of a sudden, overnight, she was a team-leading scorer.”
Now at South, where Hahn hopes to hit the 1,000-point career mark next season, it’s hard to tell that Hahn was ever in need of improvement. Hahn achieved a season and high school career high this year by scoring 33 points against Hamilton West, which helped the Pirates snap a six-game losing streak for a 74-68 win at home. During the stretch of games that qualified the team for the state tournament, Hahn was averaging 20 points per game (her overall season average was 15).
But her improvement over the years also included a transition to another position on the court. In the seventh grade, Hahn began playing with an AAU team, the Philadelphia Belles, made progress over the summer, and broke the scoring record at Community Middle School in the eighth grade.
But, “as quickly as she got strong at playing the post in the eighth grade, we were told if she wanted to keep playing at a higher level, she was going to need to transition into playing guard,” said Beth Hahn.
In eighth grade, Hahn was 5-foot-5, and others’ heights were catching up. So Hahn began transitioning over the course of the year into the guard position, a seamless process.
“She’s got a textbook shot,” said her mother. “Her father spent a lot of time with her. He is a wonderful shooting coach and can dissect a shot and tell you what to do with it.”
In fact, the Hahns have cherished basketball as a big part of their family. Her husband, Dan coached soccer and recreational basketball, and one of the couple’s other daughters, who is a year older than Gabi, plays at South at the junior varsity level.
Beth and Dan Hahn both grew up in the Chicago area and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dan Hahn later got his M.B.A. at Cornell University, and Beth earned her law degree from Seton Hall. They watched as college students as Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to multiple championship runs.
“In fact, I was at the game in 1997 when the Bulls won one of their championships,” recalled Beth Hahn. “It was one of the more exciting experiences of my lifetime. Basketball was definitely something we hoped Gabi would get into when she was older.”
The Hahns moved to New Jersey in 1999 after Dan Hahn, a management consultant with EMC Corporation, finished his M.B.A. They initially moved to Essex County, but it was the educational needs of one of the Hahns’ other daughters who drew them to West Windsor in 2005.
The Hahns have four children. Gabi Hahn is their only biological child. When she was 9 years old, the Hahns adopted their first child, Tanner, who was 19 months old and is now 9 years old. Years later, the Hans returned and adopted Sunny, who just turned 13. The Hahns then adopted Cai-Cai, who was 14 at the time, and is now 18, a year older than Gabi.
The physical and developmental needs of one of their children required special attention in school, but the Hahns became disappointed with how their former school district was handling the matter. “We looked for a school district that would be a better fit, a better cultural, social makeup for our family,” said Beth Hahn. “By February 2005, we had relocated the family here.” The district’s large Asian population was also a perfect fit for the family.
For the Hahns, the idea that there was a child waiting somewhere else in the world was appealing to them as they made the decision to adopt. Both have spent time living outside of the country, and “it was just something we felt strongly about,” said Hahn.
Gabi was intrigued herself, said Beth. “She’s always been very much an aficionado of ancient history and Asian culture, and she took all three trips to China with us and has been studying Chinese in the district for the past six years.”
Hahn has made her mark in WW-P since moving here when she was in the fifth grade. After transitioning to the guard position, she earned a starting spot in the varsity lineup as a freshman on South’s girls’ varsity team.
While she was sought by the high school soccer coaches to play goalie, she has since made basketball a year-round commitment. She plays AAU basketball to improve her skills.
For the Hahns, basketball, especially with Gabi’s success, plays a large role in family life. It “definitely impacted upon how we manage our careers,” said Beth Hahn.
Gabi was originally playing in Philadelphia but switched to playing by the shore, each requiring significant driving time. Dan Hahn works primarily out of the family’s home after traveling a lot for many years. Now “he can be around to drive her around nearly every night of the week,” said Beth Hahn.
Beth used to do trial work as a Deputy Attorney General for New Jersey. She now works for the public defender on a contract basis doing appellate work.
The Hahns’ other daughter, Cai-Cai, plays JV basketball, while their youngest daughter is a competitive gymnast. “It would be a struggle to have a conventional office job, so we have made adjustments to work around the house,” says Beth. “I don’t think we’ve missed a game in three years.”
The Hahns have much to look forward to when attending Gabi’s games. She currently is sitting at just above 700 career points, while averaging 1.5 3-point field goals per game. She is averaging about seven rebounds per game.
With South expected to lose six seniors to graduation, Gabi will have to be among the leaders next year to help guide the team.
“She’s looking back and really holding herself to a high standard,” said Beth. “She’s had some great games with a lot of points, but to win, you have to have your teammates involved. The most successful games have been when there are three players who have scored double-digits.”
Gabi is optimistic for her team next year. “This year, we had a six-game losing streak in the middle of the season that really hurt us,” she said. “But most of the games we lost were by a few points. I felt like we were a very good team this year. I like our prospects for next year, especially if some of our underclassmen can work hard over the summer. We can really improve.”
She also sees progress within her own game. “Being aggressive and not being complacent — that helped me improve this year as compared to last year.”
Right now, Gabi’s talent on the court has caught the eye of officials from a broad range of colleges, from Divisions I to III. “She definitely wants to play on the college level. She is actively in contact with a few dozen schools,” said Beth.
While she is in a good position as her junior basketball season comes to an end, Gabi emphasizes that her college choice will also consider her academic interests. Currently, Hahn is a sports editor on the school newspaper, The Pirates’ Eye, where she has been a staff member since her freshman year.
She is currently taking Advanced Placement Biology and has an interest in the field. “I’d really like to go into neuroscience or neurobiology,” she says.
