Not being able to help his teammates might have hurt Carleton Scott the most. Against Syracuse on New Year’s Day, his Notre Dame team was down, and the senior forward was trying to bring his team back into the game.

But when he went down with an injury in the last seven minutes, his ability to help was stripped away from him.

‘It was terrible for me because I was helping the guys,’ Scott said when describing the moment. ‘It was tough.’

Scott suffered a partial tear to his hamstring. Notre Dame lost the game. And without Scott for its next four games, the Fighting Irish went just 2-2.

Up until that Syracuse game, Scott averaged 12 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He was a key player Notre Dame sorely missed during his four-game absence.

Since he returned on Jan. 19 against Cincinnati, Notre Dame has gone 11-1 to finish the Big East regular season. Though Ben Hansbrough gets much of the attention for the Irish as the Big East Player of the Year winner, Scott remains a key cog in its underrated and undersized frontline. And he should continue to be a key contributor come conference tournament time with the Irish still hoping for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

In just his second game back on Jan. 22 against Marquette, Scott logged a double-double against the Golden Eagles. It was a performance that didn’t surprise Marquette’s head coach Buzz Williams, as he recognized what Scott brings to the team.

‘Carleton Scott is back, which I think completely changes their team, kind of puts them back to what they were when they came to be ranked in the Top 25,’ Williams said in the Big East coaches’ teleconference on Jan. 20. ‘I think they’re a different team without Carleton.’

Williams’ words proved to be spot on. And in his next game against Pittsburgh on Jan. 24, Scott and the Fighting Irish gave the then-No. 2 Panthers their first Big East loss of the season. Scott had 16 points and nine rebounds, a stat line that has become typical for the forward. He finished the regular season averaging more than 11 points and seven rebounds per game.

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey talked about that win in the Big East coaches’ teleconference on Jan. 27 and noted Scott’s performance as having a big influence on the game.

‘One of the things I made sure of was Carleton’s hamstring was feeling good,’ Brey said. ‘Having Carleton back was very helpful.’

Scott puts up his numbers while in pain. Though he insists he’s 90 to 95 percent health-wise, he’s constantly playing in pain, he said.

‘Pretty much all the time,’ Scott said. ‘I usually don’t report an injury until it’s too late, and I just try to deal with it the best I can and try to suck it up as much as possible. But there are times when it just becomes unbearable.’

Unbearable as it may be, his play doesn’t show it on the court. In the 12 games since his return, he has only failed to reach double figures in either points or rebounds twice, all while leading No. 4 Notre Dame to the second-best record in the Big East.

On a team without a true big man, Scott’s job — along with forwards Tyrone Nash and Tim Abromaitis — is to help out the guards, he said. The forwards aren’t the focal point of the offense.

‘Our role is really important,’ Scott said. ‘We have to get better at rebounds, and our guards do a good job of slowing down the offense and slowing down the offensive pushes. Our job is to battle on the boards, and the guards do a great job of helping us out. Their responsibility falls on us.’

Scott’s other role, aside from his position, is to be the team’s vocal leader. Along with Hansbrough, Scott said the two are the most vocal players on the team.

Keeping the team’s energy level up and keeping the team focused is important around this time of year, Scott said.

‘There’s been a couple times when we’ve been down,’ he said. ‘And me and (Hansbrough) are getting in guys’ faces in the huddles and trying to pick guys up and say, ‘Hey, come on, we have to do this.”

With the NCAA Tournament looming, Notre Dame will rely on Scott to keep its momentum going. With a twisted ankle against Providence on Feb. 23 to go along with the nagging effects of the hamstring, Scott may never be 100 percent this season.

It will be his attitude that carries him to the big games he’s had this season.

‘Just staying mentally tough,’ Scott said of how he copes with the injuries. ‘When you deal with injuries and stuff like that, it can really weigh on you. So just trying to stay optimistic, staying positive with stuff like that helps you heal faster, I believe.’

rnmarcus@syr.edu

Published on March 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Rachel: rnmarcus@syr.edu