City of Basketball Love

Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld)
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Those who’ve followed Notre Dame basketball over the last two-plus years, or the illustrious St. Joe’s Prep program during the three years prior, probably know Steve Vasturia most as a shooter.

In his time with the Fighting Irish, he’s also developed a reputation as a lockdown perimeter defender, always matching up with the opposing team’s biggest threat.

Vasturia as a point guard? Now that one might beget a double take.

But that’s exactly where the 6-foot-5 Fighting Irish junior found himself over the course of two ACC clashes last week.

Classmate Demetrius Jackson is traditionally a fixture at the point for the Irish, as the future first round draft pick plays nearly 35 minutes per game and leads the team in both scoring and assists.

However, when Jackson left a home tilt with Boston College just two minutes in with a hamstring injury that would also force him to miss the team’s ensuing trip to Syracuse, head coach Mike Brey was forced to hand the keys to Vasturia full-time.

“It’s a different responsibility, just bringing the ball up and stuff, trying to create,” Vasturia said post-game in Syracuse. “I [played point guard] a decent amount this year just giving Demetrius a break, so it was nothing new for me and I felt pretty comfortable doing it.”

The results were mixed, as Notre Dame blew out an overmatched BC squad but often struggled to create good looks against Syracuse’s vaunted 2-3 zone, falling to the Orange 81-66.

Vasturia, though, posted 16 points and four assists in each contest, a step up from his season averages of 12.8 and 3.3, respectively. His performance against Syracuse, playing every meaningful minute and doing all he could to keep his team in the game, was more than enough to impress his head coach.

“He’s unbelievable what he does for us. He’s had to handle the ball the last two games without Demetrius, play the whole game, throw in half court shots,” said Brey, who’s in his 16th year in South Bend. “Having to handle the ball against that zone the whole time without having his sidekick to take a little heat off, that’s a lot. That’s a workout. Then you’ve got to chase [Syracuse’s Michael] Gbinije and [Trevor] Cooney off screens, and I can’t take you out of the game.

“He gets the day off tomorrow,” he added with a smile.

Even as a junior, Jackson is the unquestioned leader of this year’s Notre Dame team. However, with his point guard relegated to the bench, Brey sees this time as an opportunity for Vasturia to grow in that realm.

Although Jackson made the trip to Syracuse and was there to cheer on and motivate his teammates, on the floor it was Vasturia’s job to put everyone in place and run the show.

“One of the things that’s grown a little bit with Demetrius being out is he’s had to be more of a voice,” Brey said. “It’s maybe making him a little more of a vocal leader for us while Demetrius is not on the court, and I think that can only help us when Demetrius gets back.”

As it was, Vasturia’s more subtle style of leadership was already enough to earn recognition from the program.

In early January, he was named a captain, a rare occurrence in the middle of a season. A press release from Notre Dame announced Vasturia as the Irish’s fourth captain, joining Jackson and seniors Zach Auguste and Austin Burgett.

“It was an honor,” Vasturia said. “The three guys who were already captains are doing a heck of a job, and to be a part of that group at this program, it really meant a lot.”

“He has the utmost respect of our coaching staff and his teammates,” Brey added in the release. “I've always loved his demeanor and the way he handles his business. Naming him a captain along with Zach, Austin and Demetrius is a reflection of how important Steve is to our program.”