Austin Hatch is a 6-foot-6 Senior forward who plays for Loyola High School in Los Angeles. The basketball star, who is originally from Fort Wayne, IN., has survived not one, but two plane crashes in the last decade — the most recent being in 2011, one which left him in a medically induced coma for weeks and killed his father and stepmother. Finally, after a long rehabilitation, Austin returned to the court for the first time in over three years Wednesday night… and he was clutch.
The Senior checked into the game late in the fourth quarter, hitched off the screen you see below in the video, only to land behind the arc and proceeded to drill the three-pointer — his first shot since the tragedy.
Watch the video below and see his teammates and coaches erupt, literally storming the court in celebration.
The team received a technical foul for the celebration, however Loyola coach Jamal Adams told the LA Times "It was the best technical foul I've ever been a part of."
The first plane crash Austin was involved was in 2003. That crash killed his mother and two siblings. Just before his second crash three years ago, he received a scholarship offer to Michigan. Through all the tragedies, they still plan on honoring their scholarship, so you will likely see Austin as a Wolverine for the 2014-15 season.
Loyola won the game against Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 87-59.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him @JHelmuth or "like" CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
