It was just one point in a 43-point blowout, but for Austin Hatch, a survivor of two plane crashes, it was a dream come true.
Back in 2003, Hatch was involved in a small-aircraft crash with his family aboard, which killed his mom and siblings according to ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Then, eight years later, Hatch found himself in another crash, which killed his father and stepmother.
Several weeks before the second crash that killed his father, Hatch had verbally committed to his dad’s alma mater, the University of Michigan, to play basketball. The crash left him in a medically induced coma and forced him to learn how to walk and breathe again, but the university kept its word on the scholarship.
Hatch, during a press conference shown on GMA, thanked God for his recovery and his amazing survival, “I think it was God that has his hand on me. I think it was a plan for my life.”
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The plan became a reality, when during an exhibition game against Wayne State Monday, Hatch was substituted into the game with 1:41 to go, and, after a foul, walked to the free throw line with 12 seconds left in the game.
He missed the first shot, but nailed the second.
Dream complete, Hatch was subbed out of the game to the cheers of his friends and team. He told ABC after the game that this had been a childhood dream.
“Since my childhood days, you know, when I was just a little kid playing in the driveway, envisioning myself counting down the clock, 5 seconds left in the game … 3, 2, 1 … and I shoot it and win the game,” he said. While his shot did not win the game, it won the hearts of many Americans.