The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/315684
2014 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY CHRIS BALAS Austin Hatch won't get the college send-off many kids his age receive when he heads to Ann Arbor this June — the ones that include kisses and hugs goodbye, well wishes and care packages from his parents. Two different plane crashes claimed the lives of his mother (2003) and father and stepmother (June 2011), the sec- ond of which left him with severe brain trauma. When the Pasadena (Calif.) Loyola senior finally met the media for the first time since the 2011 crash that left him with a broken collarbone and punctured lung, though, there was no bitterness. Instead there was a sense of calm and warmth, he said last November. "I feel like God has his hand on me," Hatch told a gathering of news media in what USA Today called a "surreal and uplifting" press confer- ence. "I feel like there's a plan for my life." Part of it is carrying on the legacy of his father, Dr. Stephen Hatch. Austin had no bigger fan on the court or off than his father, and the two shared a bond stronger than most given the tragedy they'd endured together. It took the younger Hatch some time to process his loss after he awoke from his weeks-long coma. "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," he said. "He taught me everything — the work neces- sary to succeed, faith, determination and courage in the midst of hardship. Those traits I acquired from him are what saved my life." Those traits are what many cling to in remembering Dr. Hatch. He was popular in the Fort Wayne, Ind., com- The Wolverine Family Is Ready To Welcome Austin Hatch To Ann Arbor Hatch is still recovering from serious injuries suffered in a plane crash in June 2011, but the Wolverines have never wavered on their stance that there will be a place for him on the team. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM