They call him “the baby faced assassin.”
It’s not the most intimidating nickname for a big-time athlete, but he certainly struck fear into his opponents with his ability on the court regardless.
University of Notre Dame sophomore shooting guard Steve Vasturia is a proud Medford native. Before he made it to the big stage, he played for the Jersey Shore Warriors AAU team and at St. Joseph’s Prep High School where he set numerous scoring records and had his jersey retired.
He comes from a very athletic family with an older brother and a younger brother, so you can imagine how competitive the games would get when they got together for a little pick up in the cul de sac. Steve’s mother Kathy played basketball at the collegiate level as well as a Dickinson Red Devil.
Vasturia committed to Notre Dame as part of a highly-touted freshman class in which he was the only kid who wasn’t from Indiana, and he hasn’t looked back since.
He made a solid contribution to the team right away as a freshman, though it was not the outcome he was looking for.
“After the early exit from the ACC tournament my freshman year, we really wanted to turn it around and get this program back to where it used to be. We were on a mission this year,” Vasturia said.
The mission turned out to be a successful one this past season, taking the ACC title home and beating perennial powerhouses Duke and North Carolina both twice. Vasturia started every one of those games and averaged more than 10 points per game doing so.
The Irish were awarded a three-seed in the NCAA tournament as a result of this remarkable season and had their sights set on making some noise.
“Everybody wants to play in the NCAA tournament as a kid and win games. Regardless of how far along we were in our college careers, we all had the same mindset, and it ended up being a tremendous experience,” Vasturia said.
Notre Dame was one of the few teams in this year’s tournament that had the benefit of senior leadership from some of their key contributors.
NBA prospects Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton both decided to return for their senior seasons after being faced with the opportunity to go pro, a rare feat in today’s NCAA.
Even more rare was the fact that Connaughton’s primary professional opportunity was for a different sport. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB draft.
Grant was coming off of a suspension for academic reasons.
“It was great having those two on the team this year. They were not only unbelievable players, but also great friends and teammates that made me better,” Vasturia said.
Under their leadership, the team got hot at the right time and made a remarkable run to the Elite Eight.
Vasturia reached double figures in three of Notre Dame’s four NCAA Tournament games and hit several big shots throughout his team’s memorable tournament run.
“None of my shots particularly stood out. They all felt good. I was just happy to get as many opportunities as I did at crucial points in the game,” Vasturia said.
The Irish streak led them to a matchup against an undefeated Kentucky team in the Elite Eight. No team had ever gone 36–0 in NCAA history prior to this season.
There was no doubt this Notre Dame team belonged to be in the game, controlling the tempo and leading the game by six points with just more than five minutes remaining.
“Our confidence going into the game was extremely high as a team. We were rolling and playing our best ball of the season at the most crucial time,” Vasturia said.
Notre Dame ended up losing the game by two points but certainly made a statement with how tough they played against arguably the best college basketball team ever assembled.
The Irish finished the season a 32–6, coming up just short of a visit to Indianapolis for the Final Four.
Vasturia played an enormous role on this team, not only being a lights out shooter but also improving his defense so much he often found himself guarding the other team’s best player.
Head Coach Mike Brey described Vasturia as “the most underrated, not-talked-about guy.”
When asked about this, Vasturia responded very humbly, “I just tried to help as much as I could, no matter what I was asked to do and regardless of the role I was playing in the game plan.”
As Vasturia looks on to his junior season, he has high expectations as usual.
“Our goal for the offseason is to continue to get better as a team, and I will work to get better as an individual player because there’s always something to work on in this game,” Vasturia said.
