The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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basketball recruiting • LaPorte (Ind.) LaLumiere shooting guard Jalen Coleman (6-3, 180, No. 34 junior in the nation), another offered prospect, scored a team-high 23 points in a 68-48 win over Gary Roosevelt Dec. 15. • Lake Forest (Ill.) High power forward Evan Boudreaux (6-7, 220, No. 107 junior in the country) had notched five straight double-doubles as of Dec. 16. The last was a 28-point, 16-rebound performance in a win over Lake Zurich Dec. 14. Class Of 2014 Signee Austin Hatch Meets The Media Michigan's four-man class includes three prospects currently playing and one — Austin Hatch (6-6, 190), formerly of Fort Wayne (Ind.) Canterbury and now at Pasadena (Calif.) Loyola — who remains steadfast on returning to the game he loves. Hatch, a former three-star prospect in 2013 who reclassified to 2014 after a June 2011 plane crash debilitated him, gave his first press conference since the accident Nov. 21. "I feel like God has his hand on me," Hatch said. "I feel like there's a plan for my life. I was dealing with the loss of my best friend, my coach, my teacher, my mentor and my No. 1 fan — that same man was also my father, Dr. Stephen Hatch." Hatch and his father lost Hatch's mother and two siblings in a 2001 plane crash. Dr. Hatch and his wife perished in the second crash. "He taught me everything — the work necessary to succeed, faith, determination and courage in the midst of hardship," Hatch recalled. "Those traits I acquired from him are what saved my life." Hatch survived a traumatic brain injury, a broken collarbone and a punctured lung in the second crash. He had to be placed in a medically induced coma for eight weeks. Hatch is still working to regain his high level cognitive function, but he's made some basketball moves in practices that have brought play to a standstill while his teammates celebrated with him. He might still be a long shot to play at the collegiate level, but Beilein signed him to a scholarship, living up to his promise that he'd make room for him whether Hatch could play or not. "He told me that he wouldn't offer me a scholarship if he didn't think I had a role on the team that would help them win," he said. "He said, 'Austin, whatever you are able to do, whether it be a manager or a practice player or whatever, you're on scholarship no matter what.'" That's provided a huge boost during a long and grueling road back. "A lot of people have said my recovery is kind of a miracle," he said. "But you have to remember the significance of what I've been through. I had a traumatic brain injury." He's still coming to grips with the loss of his family. His Michigan brothers, however, wait with open arms. Michigan Pledges Are Playing Well In The Early Going Michigan's other class of 2014 signees have played well so far this sea-