Michigan Wolverines gives Austin Hatch an unforgettable Senior Day
There are few players in basketball as inspiring as Michigan’s Austin Hatch.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana native survived two plane crashes in eight years in which he lost his mother, father, step-mother and siblings. The second crash — just before his freshman year in Ann Arbor — left him in a coma for eight weeks as he recovered from a brain injury.
While Hatch stepped away from basketball after three years with the Wolverines, he remained a student assistant with the team. So there was absolutely zero chance Michigan wasn’t going to include Hatch in Sunday’s Senior Day festivities.
Watch as a packed Crisler Center goes wild once the tribute to Hatch begins at around the 6:30 mark below.
LIVE: Senior Day at Crisler Center! #GoBlue https://t.co/4wd5Rg1Ybs
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) February 18, 2018
We had the chance to honor our seniors before the game today.
Thank you for everything seniors! 〽️@J5immons @AustinHatch30 @theprophet_5 @D_Bo20 #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/J5kBF9c7zs
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) February 18, 2018
On the CBS broadcast, play-by-play man Kevin Harlan also gave a tremendous shout out to Hatch and his perseverance.
A very special Senior Day for @umichbball’s Austin Hatch. pic.twitter.com/bQlJvY79QP
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) February 18, 2018
Hatch won’t get to play against Ohio State with the rest of the team, but it’s hardly a game he’ll ever be able to forget.
“They say the ultimate measure of a man is how he treats a man who could never repay him.” – Austin Hatch, addressing the crowd here at Crisler pic.twitter.com/t0tzSEmiA9
— Max Marcovitch (@Max_Marcovitch) February 18, 2018
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Blake Schuster is a writer for The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee