June 17, 2008
Notre Dame, Ind. – University of Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Mike Brey has announced that Ben Hansbrough (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) and Scott Martin (Valparaiso, Ind.) have transferred to the University of Notre Dame and will be eligible to play for the Irish starting with the 2009-10 campaign. Hansbrough comes to Notre Dame after spending two seasons at Mississippi State University, while Martin played one year at Purdue University.
Hansbrough saw action in 65 contests for the Bulldogs and made 28 starts from 2006-08. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 28.2 minutes per game during his two-year stint at Mississippi State and shot 42.1 percent (173-411) from the field, 38.0 percent (109-287) from three-point range and 78.6 percent (114-145) from the free-throw line.
As a sophomore in 2007-08, the 6-3, 205-pound guard averaged 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 33.5 minutes per game while playing in 30 contests and making 28 starts. He led Mississippi State to a 23-11 mark and a second-round appearance in the NCAA tournament. Hansbrough scored in double figures in 14 contests that included three season-high 20-point performances against UT Martin, Florida and Auburn. He shot 41.5 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three-point range. In his final game at Mississippi State, Hansbrough finished with 19 points, connecting on seven-of-10 shots from the field as the Bulldogs dropped a 77-74 decision to Memphis in the NCAA tournament.
As a freshman in 2006-07, he was named to the Coaches SEC All-Freshman Team while netting 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists as Mississippi State finished with a 21-14 mark and advanced to the third round of the National Invitation Tournament before losing to eventual champion West Virginia. Hansbrough played in all 35 contests and made nine starts as a rookie and tallied double figures in 12 games that was a highlighted by a career-high 23-point performance against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He also became the third Bulldog freshman in school history to dish out 100-plus assists when he finished with 112 during his rookie campaign. His 47 three-pointers as a rookie rank third all-time, while his 41.2 percent accuracy stands eighth all-time on the school’s single-season list. He led all freshmen in the SEC in assists and three-point field goals percentage and stood eighth among all freshmen in scoring.
In high school, Hansbrough was a two-time first-team all-state performer for Class 5A Poplar Bluff (Mo.) High School. He was a first team all-region selection and was a three-time all-conference honoree as he led his prep squad to a 91-21 mark during his prep career that included winning back-to-back state crows in 2004 and 2005. Hansbrough was named Mr. Show-Me Basketball and was selected the 2005-06 SEMO Conference Player of the Year. As a senior, he led his team to a 21-6 record while averaging 24.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 3.9 steals. Hansbrough finished his career with 1,577 points — the second highest point total in school history — and a 14.1 career scoring average. He concluded his career with 493 assists which ranks 19th all-time in Missouri state history.
As a freshman in ’07-’08, Martin was the fourth-leading scorer for the Boilermakers as he averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in leading the Boilermakers to a 25-9 record and second-round appearance in the NCAA tournament. He played in 32 games, made eight starts and averaged 21.9 minutes. Martin scored in double figures in 13 contests, including a string of five straight games. After scoring nine points in his first collegiate outing, he recorded a 16-point performance against Lipscomb that began his five-game double-figure scoring streak. The 6-8, 200-pound guard/forward, scored a career-high 17 points against Missouri State in the Las Vegas Classic.
Martin enjoyed an outstanding prep career at Valparaiso High School. Named to the Indiana State All-Star Team, he averaged 22.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a senior after netting 20.3 points and shooting better than 61.0 percent from the field in his junior season.
“Both Ben and Scott are great fits for Notre Dame as a whole,” Brey says. “What was exciting for me in their recruitment process was how passionate they were about becoming Notre Dame men. Certainly the timing of them becoming eligible (after sitting out in ’08-’09) is strategic considering that we lose four key seniors after this season.”