Austin Hatch has "great time" on official visit
Here's a bit more positive news: Austin Hatch did indeed make it to Ann Arbor for an official visit, which occurred over the last couple of days. He posted a couple of tweets earlier today:
Official visit last 2 days; great time & very informative.. If it would've been any better, I'm not sure I would've been able 2 stand it
Thank you @SpikeAlbrecht for being a great host as well. It's going to be a amazing four years in Ann Arbor! #GoBlue
Couldn't get the tweets to embed correctly here—just posted the text in the OP.
Awesome. Love hearing about kids who love a place I/we love so much. He's already a Michigan Man in my book.
Miss Lippy's car...is green.
The duck blue because I wanted to see a blue duck.
This, I can get behind
This is great to hear, of course, and indeed it is nice to see that he is finally able to enjoy this part of the process of being a recruited athlete even after he signed his LOI back in November. Beilein and the staff have shown nothing but the best of class through every stage of Hatch's recovery nd return to basketball. Indeed, I remember Beilein said a few weeks ago with regard to Hatch:
“We’ll just have to see how that all develops. The big thing is that he has a scholarship to the University of Michigan. And I want to make sure he knows that. We want to make sure he knows that.”
this really is the Michigan difference.
I love John Beilein.
He's more than just a successful sports guy.
Mitch is gonna smoke them out
Whatever happens to Mr. Hatch in the future he deserves the best go forward for all the tragedy such a young man has endured. He has suffered a lot more than most of us will into our 40s and 50s.
And he has an amazing attitude for someone who's been through so much. He tweeted this a couple weeks ago, commenting "Enough said."
He's staying for 4 years too!
I would love to be there on the day he makes his first basket in a game.
I hope it is a home game and I hope its a 2 minute ovation. I cannot even fathom what this kid has gone through.
Won't even be the basket. I'm thinking the very first home game he is a part of. Or very least when he first gets in. We don't have to wait til he scores to give this kid an ovation
Very true.
Roar 1 will be first entry to a game, Roar 2 will be first basket. I am sure they will be goosebump moments. I know a lot of peeps are bitching about the scholarship but being reasonable we usually have a 8-9 rotation so scholarship # 12-13 is not going to impact the trajectory of UM basketball. Looking forward to these moments.
April 26th, 2014 at 12:02 AM ^
UMHoops bitch about this. I have heard people discuss it, but never bitch. I assume that you have heard the bitching elsewhere.
...We are so lucky to have him.
April 25th, 2014 at 10:25 PM ^
Ive been out of loop on this. For I remember reading he'd never recover to point of playing again at any semblance of a competitive college level, with nerve damage and such. Am I to now understand that he will actually play for us and contribute??????? If so, then whats the realistic expectation
April 25th, 2014 at 10:55 PM ^
Mich and Beilein have said they will honor his scholarship no matter what. So he will be on the team. He is not yet the player he once was and hard to believe he ever will be. So tough to see him contribute much. But the coaches want him on the team and he deserves to be.
April 25th, 2014 at 11:34 PM ^
Great news! He has such a story. Can't wait to cheer for him in the maize & blue!
That poor kid has been through so much. I wish him nothing but the best.
This might be the first time I've seen someone properly write "would've" in a tweet. I'm impressed.
Glad he could have this experience. He deserves it.
If everyone in college sports was like Beilein we wouldn't be talking about player's unions. Michigan is so lucky to have him.
for random testing of street substances. . .
Don't ever have a poppy seed muffin ...the NCAA is watching.
I knew his father through ASIPP - they used to come to events as a family. Honestly he is a great kid, wants to be a doctor. First time he enters a game it will be Roy Hobbs knocking the lights out. That kind of goosebumps....
Can't wait for the drew sharp hit piece on this kid
if some how he plays in a game it will be the number 1 storie in collage basketball next year
April 26th, 2014 at 12:18 PM ^
that he has had go his way in quite a while, signing with UM. He can at least rest assured he doesn't have to worry about being shown the door because of unscrupulous coaches or athletic departments, that really couldn't care less about these kids if they are not "contributing". I am sure the Michigan coaches would rather saw off their own arm than show this brave young man the door. " It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine". Go Blue!!!
Does anyone have a link to a story summarizing his saga?