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Michigan Wolverines: Austin Hatch Receives Medical Scholarship

By Chris Godfrey

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Austin Hatch, the Michigan Wolverines’ inspirational freshman shooting guard, has decided to end his college basketball career and accept a medical scholarship (via a medical exemption waiver) in order to stay with the school. Hatch will no longer be a apart of the Wolverines’ active roster, and will instead rejoin the team in the new capacity of student assistant.

Hatch was once a key part of John Beilein’s 2014 recruiting class. The 6’6 shooter signed with Michigan early in his process, and looked poised to improve on his middling status as a three-star prospect. Instead, Hatch became a national story for reasons completely unrelated to basketball.

Eight years after surviving a plane crash that killed his mother and two siblings, Hatch endured a second crash that took the life of his father and his stepmother. The second crash came shortly after Hatch’s (verbal) commitment to Michigan. Despite Hatch spending two months in a drug-induced coma, Beilein never wavered on the extension of Hatch’s scholarship offer.

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Though Hatch would recover from his numerous injuries to resume his high school career, it quickly became clear that he would not be able to develop into the same player that Beilein envisioned, a sweet-stroking shooter that would be able to stretch defenses and ignite crowds at Crisler Arena. Still, Beilein honored Hatch’s commitment to the program and brought him to Ann Arbor last fall.

Hatch played in five games as a Wolverine, scoring his first point from the free throw line early in the season against Coppin State. Later during the season, he was featured in a special ESPN “Sportscenter Featured” segment that detailed his personal journey, propelling him to national recognition.

After the season, Hatch received a “Most Courageous” award from the United States Basketball Writers of America. It was also around this time that Hatch and Beilein began discussing Hatch’s future with the program.

This announcement does not come as a surprise to those who follow the program closely. The Wolverines, despite a full allotment of scholarship players, have been recruiting heavily throughout the spring. The activity foreshadowed Hatch’s departure from the active roster.

Ideally, the Wolverines would be able to offer their newly available scholarship to Jaylen Brown, the nation’s top uncommitted prospect (#2 overall). Brown’s recruitment has been shrouded in mystery, but his affections for Michigan, and particularly the opportunity to play next to Caris Levert have been made known throughout his process.

Kenny Williams, a top 100 prospect who decommitted from VCU after the departure of Shaka Smart, is also a potential addition. While Williams, won’t create the same buzz as adding Brown, he could be a more fruitful long term addition to the program. Brown will surely only spend a single season at Michigan (he’s expected to be the top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft). Williams could be a solid four-year player for the Wolverines.

Regardless of who takes Hatch’s place on the active roster, the Wolverines have secured a great asset by ensuring that Hatch will be with the program long-term. Hatch, who has been highly regarded for his heightened levels of leadership and maturity even while in high school, will likely flourish in his new role where his experiences will be able to inspire and add perspective to the young men that he will be asked to coach and mentor.

"“This isn’t the end of my basketball career and I don’t want people to look at this as if I’m quitting. It’s just a change. It just means, if there’s a minute left in the game, I won’t be coming in to hit a free throw. It’s obvious I’m not going to be a professional basketball player. But after I graduate from Michigan, I am going to be a professional at something, and this allows me to concentrate on my studies but also stay involved with the team.”-Austin Hatch (via ESPN.com)"

Everyone at Busting Brackets wishes Austin the best of luck as he attempts to move forward with his life and further pursue his education.

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