The stage was set and the pressure was on. With 12 seconds left in the game against the Wayne State Warriors, thousands of Michigan Wolverines fans stood on their feet, silently imploring freshman guard Austin Hatch to sink his free throws. After missing his first attempt, Hatch calmly received the ball, spun it in-between his hands, and lined up what would be the most significant shot in his life so far.
As he rolled the ball off his fingertips with textbook free throw technique, he let out a serene exhale while everyone held their breath.
The ball went straight through the rim and hit nothing but the bottom of the net.
Both Wolverine players and fans jumped in exhilaration and Hatch displayed a smile that was equal parts joy and relief. He ran to head coach John Beilein and gave him a big hug when Beilein subbed him out after hitting that free throw with the entire Crisler Center showering Hatch with a standing ovation.
Hatch didn’t sink the free throw to win the game. The free throw didn’t even ice the meaningless exhibition matchup (Michigan won 86-43), but the only point he would score would be the most important shot of his young life that was twice in danger of ending prematurely.
An 8 year-old Austin Hatch was with his family on a flight from Michigan to Indiana on a plane that his father was piloting. After clipping a power pole, the plane was damaged and crashed. Hatch and his father survived the crash. His mother, 11-year-old sister, and 5-year-old brother did not.
After struggling with grief over his lost family members, Hatch was able to make a full recovery and become a basketball standout that caught the University of Michigan’s attention. At the end of his sophomore year, Hatch committed to his dream school and joined the Michigan Wolverine’s recruiting class of 2013.
More from Big Ten
- Nebraska Basketball: Projected starters and depth chart for 2023-24 season
- Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 18 programs after adding Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington
- Iowa Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2023-24 season
- Purdue Basketball: Projected depth chart and rotation for 2023-24 season
- Minnesota Basketball: Projected depth chart and rotation for 2023-24 season
That summer, Hatch was flying to the family’s summer home in northern Michigan with his stepmother and father when the plane that his father was piloting crashed. When he woke up from a coma two months later, he discovered both his father and his stepmother died from the accident.
After suffering from a brain injury, fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and the pain from being the lone survivor from two crashes that took his entire family away, it seemed impossible for Hatch to recover and play the game that meant so much to him.
After a year and a half of recovery and moving in with his uncle in Los Angeles, California, Hatch suited up for Loyola High School in January 2014 and hit his first shot to signal his return to basketball. Michigan had already announced in November 2013 that they would honor Hatch’s scholarship and have him be a part of Michigan basketball.
So on an electric November 10th night in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Austin Hatch donned the Michigan Wolverines signature maize and blue for the first time and entered the game with 1:41 left in the second half. With 12 seconds left, he hit the free throw that represented his victory over impossible odds to live his childhood dream.
“Obviously, it didn’t win the game tonight,but after all that I’ve been through, it was a pretty special moment for a lot of people.” – Michigan guard Austin Hatch
“Obviously, it didn’t win the game tonight,” Hatch explained after the game. “But after all that I’ve been through, it was a pretty special moment for a lot of people.”
As with most dreams, the road to Ann Arbor was filled with heartbreak and doubt for Hatch. However, as with most dreams, the achievement is worth the struggle. Nothing said that more than that joyous smile spread across Hatch’s face as the Michigan Wolverines rained cheers upon him in the Crisler Center.
After spending years escaping the pain and recovering from wounds that will never truly heal, Hatch was welcomed to his new family, Michigan Basketball. Hatch was home again.