As Austin Hatch left the game on November 11, the crowd exploded with noise at one of the truly inspirational stories in sports right now. Hatch has survived two plane crashes; the first one happened in 2003 which killed his mother, brother, and sister and another in 2011 that killed his father and step-mother. The crash put Hatch in the hospital for eight weeks in a coma with traumatic brain damage. “I think he is brave. If were to lose my entire family, I don’t know how I would go on,” said senior Hanna Hunt. The 2011 crash also came just 10 days after he verbally committed to the University of Michigan.
Michigan honored the scholarship they offered Hatch and at age 20, he is a freshman on the basketball team. In the waning seconds of the game, Hatch was fouled and went to the line for two shots. He missed the first but not the second. Michigan coach John Beilein immediately subbed Hatch out of the game to let him soak in the moment as the volume in the stadium rose exponentially.
In a 43-point blowout victory one point seems insignificant, but that one point meant so much more than what is showed on the scoreboard. “It is a really inspiring story. He has been through so much, and I hope he will have a successful college career,” said freshman Timmy Swiers. The story of Austin Hatch is truly inspirational, and he represents what anyone can accomplish if they put their mind to something.