Michigan basketball commit Austin Hatch was playing in his first basketball game since being in a plane crash two and a half years ago, where his father and step-mother perished, when he hit his first shot of his return. It was his second plane crash that he had survived, the first of which took the life of his mother and his siblings. This is about as good as it gets when it comes to feel good stories of the year. His team was assessed a technical foul for their celebration after he hit the shot, but I think everyone will agree that it was plenty worth it.
The Los Angeles Times reported on the game Wednesday night and had this to say:
“It was the best technical foul I’ve ever been a part of,” Loyola Coach Jamal Adams said.
Loyola won the Mission League opener over host Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 87-59, but the game will be forever remembered for the emotional moment that took place with Hatch. Adams and his players and fans had tears after witnessing what they had seen.
“He hit a three and our bench erupted,” Adams said. “It was unbelievable what that kid has gone through and how hard he’s worked. That kid has taught me you can come back from anything, that nothing is impossible. It was a spiritual moment.”
Hatch had this to say after the game:
As I said after the game, my three was pretty cool, but, more importantly, we're now 14-0 😎
— Austin Hatch (@AustinHatch30) January 9, 2014
A pretty awesome moment for a very good kid that has been through more than anyone should have to go through at such a young age.
