'13 IN SG Austin Hatch (Michigan Verbal)

[Jason Svoboda]

Shooting Guard
Fort Wayne (IN) Ft Wayne Canterbury

Ht: 6'6"
Wt: 214 lbs

[Jason Svoboda]

Committed to Michigan.

[Jason Svoboda]

Wow, sad story. Kid is in critical condition after being involved in a plane crash. Hopefully he can pull through! Get well, Austin!

http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-basketball/michigan-basketball-recruit-austin-hatchs-parents-die-in-plane-crash-hes/

[BlueSycamore]

When you read the whole article this is unbelievable:

"It's not the first tragedy for the Hatch family. Stephen Hatch was the pilot of a single-prop 1990 Beechcraft-Bonanza that crashed near Bluffton, Ind., on Sept. 1, 2003 on a flight from Boyne City to Fort Wayne. Stephen Hatch and Austin Hatch survived, but his wife, Julie; daughter, Lindsay; and son, Ian, died."

[ISUCC]

wow, that is very sad, esp. w/ the history of the other crash that killed his other family members.

[Sycamore75]

DETROIT -- A standout Indiana high school basketball player with the promise of playing at the University of Michigan is fighting for his life after surviving the second plane crash of his young life.

Austin Hatch, 16, of Fort Wayne, Ind., was in critical condition Saturday in a northern Michigan hospital after the Friday evening crash that killed his father, Dr. Stephen Hatch, and his stepmother, Kim. Austin and his pilot father had survived a 2003 crash that killed Austin's mother and two siblings.

"He never talked about (the previous crash) one time," said Dan Kline, the basketball coach at Canterbury School in Fort Wayne, Ind. "I'm sure he carried it inside."

Kline told The Associated Press that the next 24 to 48 hours are going to be critical, and described Austin as an A student who is physically and mentally strong -- someone "who can handle things."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6704284

[jlandrus23]

WOW!!!!! Feel bad for the young kid. :(

Get well soon Austin!!!!

[Sycamore75]

Amazing story real considering in 2003 he was involved in another plane crash that killed his mother and two siblings. Now he's lost his dad in this one and is fighting for his own life.

[Jason Svoboda]

http://www.sycamorepride.com/showthread.php?t=9965

[sycamore fan]

I heard about this while at the Dayton Team Camp over the weekend. I've been sick ever since. Austin and his father have been fixtures in the Spiece AAU family for several years. To say that quite a few of us are heartbroken is not accurate enough.

All of our thoughts and prayers have been with Austin and whatever family he still has available since the crash. My friends in Fort Wayne report that the whole community is stunned.

While it's not as important as his well being, I also hope that Austin can return to the hardwood some day. Austin actually shattered a backboard against my AAU team last year in Kansas City. While most kids would have been strutting around after that, he actually seemed a little embarrassed by the commotion. He's a great kid.

Thoughts and prayers...thoughts and prayers.

[4Q_iu]

Both sad and tragic; now the last person (at age 16) of his immediate family...



http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2011/06/michigan-basketball-recruit-plane-crash-coma-/1

[bent20]

Was his father the pilot in both crashes?

[jlandrus23]

Was his father the pilot in both crashes?

Yes, his father was the pilot in both crashes.

[4Q_iu]

Was his father the pilot in both crashes?

NTSB cited 'pilot error_inaccurate pre-flight planning' in the 2003 crash; the poor planning lead to fuel exhaustion; time of day (darkness) and weather (low cloud level aka 'ceiling' also contributed.) It took ~2 years for the 2003 crash to be analyzed; I'd expect the same for this crash)

Sad, sad set of circumstances.

[Jason Svoboda]

Must read piece on ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/6813566/austin-hatch-michigan-basketball-recruit-makes-progress-surviving-family-second-fatal-plane-crash-lines

[Jason Svoboda]

Another piece on Austin today on ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7876607/plane-crash-survivor-austin-hatch-plans-play-michigan-wolverines-2013

[Dgreenwell3]

Another piece on Austin today on ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7876607/plane-crash-survivor-austin-hatch-plans-play-michigan-wolverines-2013

I will tell you one thing...it's going to be practically impossible not to root for that young man...

[Sycamore Proud]

Gotta love his attitude!