Last time Twanna Hutchinson, a parent coordinator for P.S. 251 in Queens, N.Y., saw her son play in person was nearly four years ago on March 17, 2006.
Trevon Hughes and St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy lost that game, the 2006 Division 2 State Championship game at the Kohl Center, 57-48 to the Seymour Thunder.
Hughes did not perform well in that game, shooting just 3-of-17 from the floor, including 3-for-12 from beyond the arc. He finished with 13 points and three assists to two turnovers.
With his mother in town again Wednesday night, Hughes wanted to make sure the result was different this time as Wisconsin battled Iowa on Senior Night.
“(It was) nerve-wracking,” Hughes said. “We didn’t win that game, and I didn’t play well. So, it was a good thing we ended up on the left-hand side (tonight). I did OK. So, we’re taking baby steps. I’ve got to crawl before I walk.”
Hughes finished with 15 points on the night, second only to leading-scorer Jon Leuer’s 18, while shooting 5-for-14 and hitting 3-of-5 three-point attempts. The 6-foot guard from Queens, N.Y., also added two blocks, three steals, four rebounds and four assists.
When Hughes exited the game to an extended standing ovation late in the second half, it was clear the Badgers would finish with a better result than Hughes and the Lancers had nearly four years ago when Hutchinson last saw him play in person.
For Hughes, though the emotion of the night was there, he used it to fuel his on-court play.
“It’s very tough,” he said of handling the emotion. “You just have to suck it up sometimes. … The emotion did play a role in tonight’s game, and that’s the kind of energy you’ve got to come out and play with in every game.”
Hughes was not the only one playing his last home game, of course.
Fellow senior guard Jason Bohannon also suited up for the last time in front of a home crowd of 17,230 at the Kohl Center. For the 6-foot-2 native of Marion, Iowa, that moment — when he and Hughes exited the court together for the last time at home — meant a lot, especially since the team finished up the home slate with a victory.
What meant the most to Bohannon was that he exited the game with Hughes, with whom he came to Wisconsin at the same time back in 2006.
“It was a great feeling to know that we finished up our career here with a victory,” Bohannon said. “We played very well tonight. But looking back over our entire career, [we] went through a lot together. And for us to come off the floor together in that situation it meant a lot. We really appreciate how all the fans reacted toward us.”
Bohannon and Hughes have won 76 percent of the games they’ve played together at Wisconsin, including 74 percent of Big Ten contests. In those games, they’ve combined for more than 2,000 points while helping lead UW to a regular season Big Ten title and Big Ten tournament title as sophomores.
“Just think about two guys going over 1,000 points in the same year, playing on NCAA Tournament teams, conference championship teams (and) conference tournament champion teams,” head coach Bo Ryan said. “That’s pretty exciting. There are a lot of people who would like to be Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes. I would.”
Bohannon finished his final home game as a Badger with an efficient 11 points, marking the eighth straight game he’s had 10 or more points. He did so while shooting 5-of-8 from the floor and 1-for-3 beyond the arc.
More impressively, though, he pulled down a career-high nine rebounds.
Bohannon, the oldest son of former Iowa quarterback Gordy Bohannon, finished his career having lost just once in seven tries against his father’s alma mater.
When asked about it after the game, Bohannon acknowledged the intrigue of facing Iowa on Senior Night, but did not believe it factored into his enjoyment of the evening.
“It didn’t add anything, but it was kind of a cool situation how it played out,” he said. “To play Iowa on Senior Night and to get a victory like we did tonight … it was very fun to be a part of. Hopefully we continue to play the way we did tonight and that momentum leads on for the rest of the year and into the tournament.”
