South Bend, IN – Notre Dame forward Tim Abromaitis will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during practice on Friday morning.
The school said Abromaitis, a fifth-year senior, is expected to have surgery on the torn ACL in the next two weeks.
The team co-captain averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in two games after serving a four-game suspension to start the season over a misunderstanding about NCAA rules governing seasons of competition.
Abromaitis' infraction dated to 2008-09 when he played two exhibition games as a sophomore and then sat out the remainder of the season. Notre Dame withheld him from playing the regular season to preserve an extra year of eligibility, but the rule only applies for freshmen.
He averaged 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds last season and was Notre Dame's top returning scorer and a preseason All-Big East selection.
Head coach Mike Brey said Abromaitis, who graduated from Notre Dame in 2010 with a degree in finance and received a masters from the Mendoza College of Business this past May, was "one of the great stories in college athletics and represents everything that is good about college basketball."
"We are all disappointed for Tim because of all that he has meant to our program," the coach said in a statement. "He has been such a big part of our success over the past three seasons. Tim is such a special young man and an unbelievable representative of Notre Dame both on and off the basketball court."
In an ironic twist, the Fighting Irish lost both games Abromaitis played after starting the season 4-0.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.