Austin Hatch Update
UmHoops.com has some comprehensive player pages for all of Michigan's propects including recruiting site rankings and player Twitter feeds.
I know we're all very excited about the basketball team and we expect the 2014 class to fill up in the next month or so, but I stumbled on a few positive tweets from Austin Hatch that I thought should be shared.
Let's not forget this kid is part of this class. He has been though a lot and will make a TREMEDOUS Michigan Wolverine. We should all be rooting for him to live his dream.
October 10th, 2013 at 2:07 PM ^
deserves a standing ovation the first time he steps out on the floor at Crisler. Anyone that doesn't stand and cheer this kid deserves to be thrown out of the building. Even if he's only a off the bench role player or not a big star at UM, this kid has shown he's a Michigan Man long before stepping foot on the hardwood. He'll make a great addition to the team.
October 10th, 2013 at 2:44 PM ^
Only issue I have, some people do not follow recruiting & news as closely as we, the MGoBlog community, do. So to kick them out for unknowingly not stand for a random basketball player (in their eyes) may be a little harsh.
That being said, people should be educated on the path this kid has taken somehow. Idk if you do a quick story about him on the jumbotron, or how to spread the word. It is a great story. I sure as hell can't wait for him to step onto the floor at Crisler.
October 10th, 2013 at 4:43 PM ^
I forget sometimes that not all are as obsessed as we are, so I rescind my throw the bums out comment.
I like your jumbotron idea. Put the story in the programs too. If enough people know the story and start clapping, the rest of the herd should follow to their feet.
October 10th, 2013 at 2:09 PM ^
Ever plays a game or goes on to be a superstar he will ALWAYS be a Michigan Man for going through whats hes gone through..I just cant believe he might play again and I for one will be rooting for him all the way!!!!
October 10th, 2013 at 2:18 PM ^
Keep the Hatch updates coming. Im not on twitter so all updates by players themselves I find out about on this site.
Cant wait to see the kid play
October 10th, 2013 at 2:25 PM ^
for us all. Whether he plays or not, be will always be a Michigan man.
October 10th, 2013 at 2:26 PM ^
This is a great story, and I'm glad to hear of Hatch's progress. May it continue, and may he be able to play again!
October 10th, 2013 at 2:42 PM ^
Great for a kid to turn lemons into lemonade. He's had one of the hardest journeys I can imagine.
I wonder how this is all going to play out. I'm sure Michigan will honor the scholarship in some way. I don't think they can give him an academic scholarship then have him "walk-on" the team, so how else can they swing it? Will Michigan just give him an academic scholarship but not have him play bball? Will he then want to go somewhere else where he can play, maybe DII? Is he ever gonna get back to where he was?
October 10th, 2013 at 2:48 PM ^
I believe it was last fall when he reclassified that Beilein essentially said that Michigan would honor the scholarship whenever Hatch decided he wanted to accept it and that they would continue to support him in his efforts to get back to basketball.
October 10th, 2013 at 3:24 PM ^
If he cant go, then Michigan can still honor (which they said they would) his scholarship and he would simply be given a medical scholarship meaning he could never suit up for the team but at least would enjoy the perks of a full ride.
October 10th, 2013 at 3:35 PM ^
October 10th, 2013 at 3:41 PM ^
Then he plays. At worst, he would probably be on the level of the preferred walk-on / one year scholly type players. He could still play a role, even if just in garbage time. At best, he's close to where he was before the crash and is a contributor. That's my expectation, anyway.
October 10th, 2013 at 3:50 PM ^
October 10th, 2013 at 5:07 PM ^
http://www.umhoops.com/recruiting/scholarship-breakdown/
We are currently sitting at 14 ships for 2014. Minus McGary and GR3=12. We can have 13. Hence, Hatch gets to live out his dream playing (hopefully) next to his good friend James Blackmon. And we all lived happily ever after.
October 10th, 2013 at 6:11 PM ^
Oh, OK then. I thought the 14 number did not include Hatch. That actually makes a really big difference. Brining in another top SG means we won't really be relying on Hatch, and if he can contribute it's a bonus. And if he's medically unable to play, we can keep him on a la Cronin and use that spot in 2015.
October 10th, 2013 at 6:29 PM ^
Let's A. Not count the kid out
and B. Stop talking about a medical scholarship. It feels pretty douchey, considering the kid's dream and what he has been through. If that's where this leads, then fine. Michigan basketball will be fine either way, even if Austin's scholarship contribution exists strictly in the realm of leadership alone.
October 10th, 2013 at 4:04 PM ^
That's kinda what I was getting at. Maybe he can play. Maybe he wants to play in college. But maybe he's not gonna get any court time at Michigan. What then? It might become one of those "it was best for both worlds" kinda thing. He tells Beilein he's so grateful for the opportunity but he wants to go to a smaller place and play. Beilein says we wanted him, he would've been a great addition, but he really wanted to just get minutes. No hard feelings, everyone splits amicably.
October 10th, 2013 at 4:18 PM ^
October 10th, 2013 at 2:49 PM ^
tough bastard
October 10th, 2013 at 3:20 PM ^
Love the quote from Beilein, also.
October 10th, 2013 at 4:21 PM ^
...Hatch will keep his athletic scholarship. Until there's information to suggest that Hatch has a medical condition that prevents him from contributing to the team, I assume that he will be a member of the incoming 2014 class.
If, and only if, it's determined that Hatch can't contribute to the team (contribute defined in a range from starter to scout team member) solely because of any medical condition he may have, he will likely be offered a medical scholarship. If that happens, he'll be given a role as an undergraduate student coach, much like Ben Cronin.
Whatever happens, I am rooting for this kid. He deserves nothing but unbridled support and an absence of idle speculation about what he may or may not be able to do.
October 10th, 2013 at 4:24 PM ^
I wish next year would get here already so that Crisler can give this guy a standing ovation...Also, his picture should appear next to the word "resilient" in the dictionary from now on.
October 11th, 2013 at 2:22 PM ^