Hatch A Hidden Talent
Tyler Hatch, a smooth 6-5, 188 pound swingman from Fort Worth (TX) Paschal HS,
has seen interest pick up in his recruiting since the end of basketball season.
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According to his father and head coach Mike Hatch, the younger Hatch has heard
from NCAA Cinderella Creighton, UTEP (with UTEP head coach Billy
Gillespie having seen Hatch play a couple times during the regular season),
Albany, Boston University, Davidson, and Holy Cross with
Albany offering. The Hatches will be making an official visit to Albany the
weekend of April 19th.
Hatch finished his high school career at Paschal after playing his first three
years at Lewisville (TX) HS, where he mainly served as a complimentary player,
averaging 7.8 points and 4.1 rebounds as a junior playing alongside current
UMBC freshman P.J. Hatcher-Smith. However after he moved to Paschal, his role
increased, especially offensively.
"He's gotten so much more confidence in his scoring," said Coach Hatch. "He
was our main guy. We would have won 6-7 games without him. Instead, we won
22." The younger Hatch also helped Panthers advance to the second (area) round
of the state playoffs, where he scored 24 points in a heartbreaking 56-51
double overtime loss to Carrollton (TX) Creekview HS.
Hatch is a crafty lefty who figures out how to score in several different ways.
While he has three-point range (he shot 35.6 percent from behind the arc) he can
also score around the basket and knows how to get to the free throw line.
Hatch doesn't just contribute by shooting the ball, in addition to scoring
(21.0 points per game - which led the district), he also led the team in
rebounding (10.3 per game - also leading the district) and blocked shots (39),
while finishing second in assists (3.0 per game). Most of all, he has an
innate feel for the game, something not easily taught. Due to his play, Hatch
was named the district MVP and earned 5A Second Team All-State honors.
Most schools got their first real look at Hatch last spring and summer when he
played for his father on the Fort Worth Lions traveling AAU team, where he was
a teammate of Illinois signee Warren Carter, Colorado State signee Phillip
Thomasson, and Houston signee Parker Pinkalla, among several other Division I
prospects. Because he played on a team with so much talent, many schools may
have overlooked the younger Hatch because of his more limited role.
"He's a late developer," said Coach Hatch. "A lot of people saw him play then
and didn't see him play and develop over this past season. He just hasn't been
seen."
Still, schools such as San Diego and Utah State were involved early on.
However when scholarship situations changed, those schools are no longer in
the mix and the phone lines were open once again in the Hatch household.
With the schools currently showing interest, Creighton would be a fantastic fit
according to Coach Hatch ("The play smart," he said). However while head coach
Dana Altman's name makes the rounds in the coaching carousel this off-season,
Hatch remains open in his recruitment.
Hatch is a full academic qualifier, sporting a 3.4 GPA and a 860 on the SAT.
He is open to redshirting a year if that's what it takes. A year of junior
college or prep school are possible options, but not preferred at this point in
time.
Hatch does need to continue to get stronger and more athletic, while improving
his ball-handling. While there's no question it will take development,
physically and mentally, for Hatch to make the transition to college
basketball, his head coach does feel that he has the desire to make the
successful jump.
"He's a driven kid," said Coach Hatch. "He'll figure out what needs to do and
he'll get it done."
"I think he's really going to be a good player at the right school and right
situation."
Jed Tai is a senior writer for Hoopville.com.