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Michigan commitment Austin Hatch cleared for practice

Northern Michigan v Michigan Wolverines

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 01: Head coach John Beilein looks on while playing the Northern Michigan Wildcats during a exhibition game at Crisler Center on November 1, 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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Some incredibly uplifting news out of the Michigan camp today.

Michigan recruit Austin Hatch has been cleared for to do some drills at practice at his high school. This is amazing news considering Hatch was involved in his second (SECOND!) plane crash. This one put him in intensive care and cost the lives of his father and stepmother.

The fact that Hatch even survived, when you read the details of the crash, is amazing. One would totally understand if he took a few years, or took off for good, from playing basketball. But this guy has been determined to not only get back to playing basketball, but getting back to living life. Bless this kid, because it can’t be anywhere near easy.

The second crash occurred on June 24, 2011 and it left Hatch, a 6-6, 210-pound small forward out of Fort Wayne, Ind., with a severe brain injury, broke ribs and a punctured lung. Recently, Hatch was granted an additional year of high school to help his recovery.

Hatch is finishing out his prep career at Canterbury High School.

I, for one, am totally rooting for Austin Hatch. He’s already been through more in the past few years than some people have been through in a lifetime.

If one thing is certain, John Beilein is getting one of the toughest, if not the toughest, kid in the country in his 2014 recruiting class.

David Harten is the editor of The Backboard Chronicles. You can follow him on Twitter at @David_Harten.