3 years after surviving a 2nd plane crash, Austin Hatch makes Michigan debut

On Sunday, Austin Hatch stepped on the floor as a Michigan Wolverine for the first time, three years after surviving a plane crash for the second time in his life.

Following the win, Hatch led a team in a round of "The Victors" to cap things off:

Hatch's story is incredible. In 2003, he and his father survived a plane crash that killed his mother, sister and brother. In 2011, flying in a single-engine plane with his father, Hatch once again survived a crash, one that killed his father and stepmother.

Yahoo Sports outlines the injuries Hatch suffered (that link is a must-read for the entire Hatch story):

Not only did Hatch suffer severe head trauma, a punctured lung, fractured ribs and a broken collarbone, but doctors also had to put him in a medically induced coma to control the swelling in his brain. Even after he emerged from the coma eight weeks later and gradually regained the ability to talk and walk, doctors warned him his days of playing basketball at an elite level were likely over.

Eventually, Hatch worked his way back on to a basketball court, earning the right to appear in Sunday's exhibition for the Wolverines. While he played just three scoreless minutes, it was obviously an immense moment, as Hatch explained to GoBlue.com:

As you can imagine it has been a heck of a journey to get here. Playing basketball at the University of Michigan has been my goal since I was a little kid. It was unreal to be here and to have actually played a game. I really feel like I have that game under my belt now and I really feel like a Michigan basketball player.

Head coach John Beilein called it a "special moment," and mentioned that Hatch's grandfather was in the stands to experience the moment with his grandson.

It remains unclear if Hatch will ever be able to work his way back to the level he was at before the second accident, when he had his pick of several major programs, but that matters little given the enormity of Sunday's appearance.