Notebook: Austin Hatch Heading Home, Roe Retires, More

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Brad Winton of JucoRecruiting.com spoke with Austin Hatch’s Canterbury head coach Dan Kline last night and tweeted some very encouraging news on the Fort Wayne native’s condition:

Per Caterbury HS head coach (and close friend) Dan Kline… Michigan recruit Austin Hatch will come home Oct. 9. Kline said rehab went amazing.

This is obviously just the start of the battle for Hatch, who was hospitalized just over three months ago after a tragic plane crash that killed his immediate family, but it’s the most positive news from the last three months. Updates remain very minimal on Hatch’s Caring Bridge but traveling home is a major step in his recovery.

Delvon Roe Hangs it Up

Five or six years ago Delvon Roe was one of the top ten prep prospects in the country, wowing scouts with his size, athleticism and motor. Roe eventually committed to Michigan State over North Carolina and Michigan before injuring his knee, tearing the meniscus and chipping his knee cap, midway through his senior season. Anyone that saw Roe play before the injury will tell you that he was never the same player after the injuries but he always battled. Roe played in nearly every game at Michigan State despite constantly suffering through pain and having to have his knee drained.

Yesterday afternoon, Roe finally called it quits.

“This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. It feels that I’ve been playing through pain throughout my career at MSU, but the daily grind of basketball – the running, cutting, jumping – has finally taken its toll given the intensity required to play at our level. I started playing basketball because I loved the game, but the pain has taken that away and forced me to always think about just getting through the next few minutes or the next game. I don’t want to just `get through’ anymore. I’ve played on a leg and a half for most of my career, and that’s not fair to my teammates as they go through the daily grind.”

It’s hard not to feel for a player like Roe, a classy kid that has played through significant pain for the last three seasons without complaining. Roe’s decision also causes more problems for Michigan State, who already lost Garrick Sherman to transfer, in the front court. The Spartans will be forced to rely on a relatively unproven trio of Derrick Nix, Adreian Payne and Alex Gauna at the five position.

Photo: Michigan Stadium Aerials

More Notes

• Mitch McGary plans to decide in a month and reports are that he will attend Big Blue Madness at Kentucky on October 14th.
• MICHIGAN BASKETBALL PLAYER DEVELOPMENT CENTER (scroll down)
  Updated PDC photos as of September 14th.
• The Bartelstein Blog: Countdown is on, No More Cones Please, Love the Fans & 3,000 Maize Ragers!
  Bartelstein’s latest blog talks fantasy football and also notes that the Maize Rage is close to 3,000 ticket sales already 
• Ohio State, UNLV among teams with most lackluster schedules
  Ohio State and Northwestern take the dubious honor at having the weakest and most disappointing non-conference schedules in the Big Ten
• Congrats to the three winners of our Disqus contest: alyzen, a2sk and newcgoblue. All three of you will be notified with instructions on how to receive your prize.