SOUTH BEND – Counted on to be a key contributor for Notre Dame's push back to the NCAA tournament this college basketball season, junior forward Scott Martin will instead return to a familiar spot near the end of the bench.

Martin, who sat out all of last season after transferring from Purdue following his freshman year, will miss the entire 2009-10 season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee Thursday during a team workout.

“This was a weird one, a freak one,” said Irish coach Mike Brey, who watched Martin crumple without being touched after coming to a jump-stop with the ball during a 5-on-5 fullcourt drill 10 minutes into the preseason practice. “A season-ending injury in October is devastating.

“It's sad because you feel for the kid. He really worked hard in the offseason.”

Thursday was Notre Dame's third offseason workout as a group. Prior to last week's practice, Brey approached Martin and inquired about the kid's mindset with October coming quickly.

“He said, ‘Coach, I'm so ready,'” Brey said. “He was pretty rock-bottom after the injury, but by the end of the night, he was better. He sees the big picture.

“We'll get him there. It's just going to take a little more time.”

An MRI on Friday morning revealed the extent of the damage for Martin, who was expected to be a starter and play major minutes this season.

“Think about it – he played college basketball as a freshman and now he won't play again until his senior year,” said former Irish forward Zach Hillesland, who practiced all last year against Martin. “He would have had a good season. He has a lot of skills.

“It's a shame that we have to wait another year to see it, but he's going to bounce back.”

Martin still has three seasons of eligibility remaining. He can play two years, but will likely have to petition the NCAA to play his final season – which would be his sixth year of college, under the medical hardship guideline.

Martin, who will undergo surgery later this month during fall break, was unavailable for comment Friday, also an off-day for the team.

Martin's health was an issue late last year. While sitting out his transfer season under NCAA regulations, Martin was allowed to practice, but he developed tendonitis in both knees. The pain lingered to the point where Martin was held out of practices late in the year.

In March, Martin underwent a PRP procedure where doctors draw some of his own blood, then re-inject around the knee area to relieve some of the tendonitis. He had the procedure on both knees.

“You feel bad for a kid like that when freak things happen,” said Hillesland, himself still recovering from late-summer shoulder surgery.

Brey so looked forward to having the 6-foot-8 Martin this season that he talked over the summer that the left-hander from nearby Valparaiso might be the most talented offensive player he has coached during his 10 seasons at Notre Dame. Not in the sense that Martin could single-handedly dominate games like senior power forward Luke Harangody or former Irish standouts Troy Murphy and Chris Thomas. But just by the variety of tools Martin had in his offensive arsenal.

Martin could post up or step outside and shoot the 3. He could fill the wing on the break and finish with a dunk or pull up with a medium-range jumper. He owns the team's best vertical leap – around 35 inches – and has the natural ability to do something Brey covets – score.

Hillesland saw that the first time Martin scrimmaged with Notre Dame after transferring.

“He hit me with a wicked pump fake,” Hillesland said. “He faked me and hit a bank shot off the glass from about 12 feet. I said, ‘Now that's a big-time move.'

“He's a crafty player with the natural ability to do it. He just has a knack around the basket.”

The loss of Martin means a gain in playing time, and a lot of it, for someone else. Juniors Tim Abromaitis and Carleton Scott, both of whom have each sat out a season to preserve a year of eligibility, will have the first chances to replace Martin.

Brey was starting to see that he could count on both even before Martin went down Thursday.

“You feel good about them,” he said. “I'm excited about what I see out of them. They've been in our program for three years and they should be ready to be relied on.”

Both likely were going to be in the core rotation during the season. The door now also opens the door for Brey and the coaching staff to look even more closely at the freshman class of Mike Broghammer, Joey Brooks, Jack Cooley and Tom Knight. At least one of them was going to be needed. Now it may be two.

“We need more help from the freshman class,” Brey said.