After over three years off the court, senior Austin Hatch finally stepped back on the court for one of the season’s most emotional moments.
In June 2011, Hatch was involved in a plane crash in which his father died and left Austin with severe head trauma, a punctured lung, and many broken bones. The crash also placed Hatch in a coma for eight weeks. At the time, Hatch had already committed to play for the University of Michigan.
At just 16-years old, Hatch had already survived two plane crashes. A similar tragedy back in 2003 took the lives of his mother, 11-year-old sister, and 5-year-old brother.
After recovering from the 2011 crash, Hatch moved from his Indiana home to Los Angeles to stay with his uncle. Shortly after starting at Loyola High School, Hatch began steps to making it back on the basketball court.
On Wednesday, after over two years of recovery, Hatch played in his first game since the tragic event against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
Four possessions after entering the game, Hatch received pass outside the three-point line, lined up the shot, and buried it. Immediately, Loyola’s entire bend stormed the court in celebration.
Even after receiving a technical foul for the celebration, Loyola’s team and fans could not have been happier to see Hatch make his first shot back. The Cubs went on to defeat Notre Dame 87-59.
With all eyes centered on him, the modest Hatch tweeted “As I said after the game, my three was pretty cool, but, more importantly, we’re 14-0 now.”
At just 19-years-old, Austin Hatch is teaching the country that anyone can overcome the most tragic and difficult of situations through hard work and determination.
John Beilein and the University of Michigan are honoring Hatch’s scholarship and he signed his letter of intent in November.
With a little less than half the season left, we can be sure that this is not the last we will see of Austin Hatch. The dedicated player stated that he plans on participating in Michigan’s basketball program next year.
Loyola’s next game is against Chaminade on January 10. The Cubs currently sit in 29th in the DigitalSports National Basketball Rankings.
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