Austin Hatch has been granted a medical exemption by the Big Ten and will be classified as an undergraduate student assistant for the remainder of his career, the Michigan men’s basketball program announced Monday.
The move allows Hatch to remain on scholarship for the next three years, but that scholarship no longer counts against the NCAA limit of 13 per program.
Hatch, a rising sophomore guard, played just five minutes in the 2014-15 season. He survived two life-threatening plane crashes over the course of his childhood, accidents that claimed the lives of most of his immediate family members. The second left Hatch with long-term injuries that he’s still working to recover from.
Exempting Hatch precludes him from participating in games for the duration of his career, barring a potential waiver from the Big Ten or NCAA, potentially for his Senior Day. Hatch, however, can continue to participate in practice.
“Over the past year, we closely observed Austin’s academic and athletic progress,” said Michigan coach John Beilein in a statement. “In the end, Austin and our staff agree that the waiver is the proper next step. This change allows Austin to devote the necessary time he needs to be successful in his studies and obtain a Michigan degree. We also wanted to be sure we continued our commitment to Austin keeping his full scholarship in place for the next three years. This waiver allows for both.”
The move allows Beilein and the Wolverines to continue recruiting for next season. As Hatch no longer counts against the Michigan’s scholarship cap, the program has just 12 scholarships committed for next year, giving them a 13th to offer to recruits.
Reports say Beilein and the Wolverines are very much in the mix for Jaylen Brown, an elite swingman from Alpharetta, Ga. (Wheeler High School) who is ranked the top prospect in the nation by some recruiting outlets. Kenny Williams, a four-star guard from Chesterfield, Va. (L.C. Bird), is also said to have Michigan high on his list.
Williams’ coach at L.C. Bird, Troy Manns, indicated to MLive.com that Michigan has told Williams there’s still space for him in Ann Arbor, LeVert’s decision and Wagner’s commitment notwithstanding.
Brown’s coach at Wheeler, Doug Lipscomb, did not respond for comment when contacted by the Daily.
However, the decision to exempt Hatch has been an ongoing process for over a month — it took place soon after the end of the 2014-15 season, according to the statement.
“This is, and has been, a very difficult decision; one that we have been discussing with Austin over the last few months,” Beilein said. “Together, we made this decision at the end of the season and have been waiting for approval from the Big Ten for his status change. With the request for a medical exemption waiver approved (April 27), we are ready to move forward with the next steps in Austin’s career.”
While rare, there is precedent for Michigan student-athletes receiving medical exemptions. Following the 2007 football season, wide receiver Antonio Bass and tight end Chris McLaurin were no longer counted against the Wolverines’ scholarship cap, but remained on scholarship following career-ending injuries.
More recently, Michigan men’s basketball player Ben Cronin was issued a medical exemption following the 2009-10 season but remained with the program until graduation as a student coach, a plan likely to be followed by Hatch.
NCAA bylaw 15.5.1.3.1 states, “If an incapacitating injury or illness occurs prior to a student-athlete’s participation in athletically related activities and results in the student-athlete’s inability to compete ever again, the student-athlete shall not be counted within the institution’s maximum financial aid award limitations for the current, as well as subsequent, academic years.”