Tag: Steve Vasturia

Photos from last Notre Dame-Michigan State game at Purcell Pavilion

This was a memorable game in a memorable season.

As Notre Dame prepares to welcome Michigan State to Purcell Pavilion, one can’t help but think of the last time these programs met there. It was the 2014 ACC-Big Ten Challenge, and fans filled the seats to witness the first meeting between the teams since Magic Johnson’s Spartans eliminated the Irish in the 1979 NCAA Tournament en route to the national title. Also helping was the great reputation Tom Izzo had long established by then.

The game lived up to the billing as the Irish won a 79-78 overtime thriller. [autotag]Jerian Grant[/autotag] played the entire game, scoring a career-high 27 points and dishing out six assists. [autotag]Demetrius Jackson[/autotag]’s 22 points also set a career high, though he would pass that mark five times after this game. The Irish also got 11 points apiece from [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] and [autotag]Steve Vasturia[/autotag].

Before these programs battle in the final ACC-Big Ten Challenge in 2022,  take a look back at this memorable 2014 contest. Don’t miss the rather festive photo of [autotag]Digger Phelps[/autotag] while you do:

Mike Brey attends Steve Vasturia’s wedding, sends congratulations

The coach is proud of his former guard.

One of the key players for Notre Dame’s back-to-back Elite Eight teams in 2015 and 2016 was [autotag]Steve Vasturia[/autotag]. He started every game for the Irish during those seasons, and he ultimately scored exactly 1,400 career points. Over four years, he averaged 10.2 points a game while shooting 43.8% from the field.

[autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] was such an important figure in Vasturia’s life that he invited his coach to his wedding. Brey was excited about it before the occasion even began:

Of course, Brey wasn’t the only Irish figure to attend. Several of Vasturia’s former teammates also showed up. With all of those familiar faces in attendance, it only made sense to snap a group photo, and Brey was only too happy to take part in it:

Congratulations to the newlyweds as they begin their life together. Here’s hoping that Vasturia will be able find a little time to return to Purcell Pavilion soon to watch a program back on the rise.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

2015 ACC Champion Irish Have Twitch Reunion

In this time of quarantine, it can feel a little lonely.

In this time of quarantine, it can feel a little lonely. But when you were part of a championship-winning team, that loneliness has potential to go away for a bit. On Saturday afternoon, the 2014-15 Notre Dame men’s basketball team did just that.

The ’14-15 Irish, who won the ACC championship and were one last-second 3-pointer away from getting to the Final Four, got together on Twitch to reminisce about their team, arguably the best team Mike Brey has coached in his time in South Bend. Never mind that this team got bounced in the semifinals of our Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament. This is the team people think of first when it comes to recent Notre Dame men’s basketball.

Hosted by Demetrius Jackson’s channel and co-hosted by associate athletic communications director Alan Wasielewski, the ’14-15 Irish were well-represented, so there were plenty of stories to be shared. Besides Jackson, the players on the chat were Jerian Grant, Zach Auguste, Pat Connaughton, Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem, Bonzie Colson, Austin Torres, Austin Burgett, Martinas Geben, Eric Kantenda and Matt Gregory, whose father crashed the chat at one point. Incredibly, Matt Farrell was the only player absent. Also joining them were team chaplain and Notre Dame’s Director of Campus Ministry, the Rev. Peter M. McCormick.

There were nothing but positive vibes all-around. In the great scheme of things, five years removed from a memorable event is not a long time. Still, it had the feel of a 20-year college reunion. These boys became men together, so they all see each other as brothers.

At the time of this writing, the reunion still was going on, so you might still be able to check it out if you hurry. It’s clear they all still love each other. That’s the glimmer of light we need in these dark times.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’06-07 Irish Topple ’14-15 Irish

In a Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament that’s had some surprises, perhaps the biggest one just happened.

In a Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament that’s had some surprises, perhaps the biggest one just happened. That surprise is the field’s top seed won’t play in the final. The fourth-seeded 2006-07 Irish convincingly upset the 2014-15 Irish, 97-83, in the first semifinal.

After falling behind by six early in the first half, the ’06-07 Irish went on a 10-0 and never trailed again. That first half saw the ’14-15 Irish cut a nine-point deficit to two before the ’06-07 Irish built their lead back up to 14, though they had to settle for an 11-point halftime lead after Jerian Grant hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. In the second half, they led by as much as 19, and the ’14-15 Irish never got closer than nine. To say the least, this game played out in a way few could have expected not only in terms of the outcome, but also how it happened.

Russell Carter led all scorers and the ’06-07 Irish with 20 points. Luke Harangody had another quality game off the bench and scored 18 while shooting 8 of 11 from the field. Rob Kurz was 5 of 7 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line to score 16. Colin Falls scored 12, and Kyle McAlarney had 10 off the bench.

Demetrius Jackson paced the ’14-15 Irish with 19 points. Grant was close behind with 17 points while also dishing out a game-high eight assists. Steve Vasturia had 12, and Zach Auguste came close to a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. Pat Connaughton was held in check with only nine points on 4-of-7 shooting.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 1 Seed – 2014-15 Irish

Now, we get to the heavy hitters in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament, beginning with the top seed.

Now, we get to the heavy hitters in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament, beginning with the top seed. The 2014-15 Irish represented the program’s second season in the ACC, but they made it clear to everyone that they intended to compete in perhaps the best conference in college basketball, not simply lay down for the likes of Duke, North Carolina and Syracuse. No one could deny it when this season was over.

En route to a 32-6 record, the program’s best since going 33-7 in 1908-09, the Irish jumped out to a 15-1 start and ended up winning 20 of their first 22 games, including eight of their first nine ACC games. That run ended with a four-point win over the No. 4 Blue Devils, at which point the Irish were ranked eighth, as high as they would get during the season. In spite of their 14-4 conference record, it only netted them a No. 3 seed in the ACC tournament. That didn’t matter, however, because the Irish squeezed out wins over Miami, Duke and North Carolina by an average of 8.3 points to win Mike Brey his first championship and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The close but meaningful games continued in March Madness. Seeded third in their region, the Irish needed everything to get by 14th-seeded Northeastern in a four-point first-round win, and the second-round win over in-state rival Butler required overtime. They breathed a little easier in an 11-point win over Wichita State in the Sweet Sixteen, setting up an Elite Eight matchup with Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Devin Booker and top-ranked Kentucky. The game was a classic, and the Irish would have made their first Final Four in 37 years had Jerian Grant not air-balled a corner 3 at the buzzer, giving the Wildcats a two-point victory.

Jerian Grant was named to the Consensus All-American First Team alongside Stein, Jahlil Okafor, D’Angelo Russell and Frank Kaminsky. He led the Irish with 16.5 points and 6.7 assists a game. Zach Auguste, Pat Connaughton and Demetrius Jackson all had scoring averages in the neighborhood of 12, and Steve Vasturia averaged 10.1 points a game. All of this made the Irish the second-best shooting team in the nation (50.9 percent), the third-best scoring team (2,963 points) and the ninth-best passing team (576).

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’15-16 Irish Hold Off ’18-19 Irish

Was it possible for the lowest seed in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament to work its magic again in the second round?

Was it possible for the lowest seed in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament to work its magic again in the second round? It nearly happened, but the fates said enough was enough. The 2015-16 Irish held on for just long enough to defeat the 2018-19 Irish, 85-78.

John Mooney closed a back-and-forth first half with a buzzer beater to give the ’18-19 Irish a two-point halftime lead. In the second half, they held a five-point lead and briefly turned a four-point deficit into a one-point lead with five minutes to go. But the ’15-16 Irish followed that with a 9-0 run to go up by eight. Over the final minute-and-a-half, unlikely hero Austin Burgett hit a dagger 3-pointer, then made all eight of his free throws to seal the win, scoring 11 of his 14 points during that stretch.

Steve Vasturia led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Zach Auguste scored 16 points, and V.J. Beachem had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Demetrius Jackson coupled 10 points with six assists, and Bonzie Colson grabbed a game-high 14 boards.

Despite shooting 5 of 18 from the field, T.J. Gibbs led the ’18-19 Irish with 16 points. D.J. Harvey scored 15, and Mooney added another double-double to his resume with 12 points and rebounds apiece. Prentiss Hubb scored 11, and Nate Laszewski came off the bench with 10.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’05-06 Irish Take Out ’16-17 Irish

The slipper still fits for the 13th-seeded 2005-06 Irish in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament.

The slipper still fits for the 13th-seeded 2005-06 Irish in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament. This time, they recorded a 95-85 win over the 2016-17 Irish, who had the highest seed of any team in the field with a first-round bye at fifth. As the clock kept winding down, it appeared this game would go the other way. Then, the unexpected happened.

After the teams went back and forth in the first half, the ’16-17 Irish went up 10 five minutes into the second. With seven minutes to go, the lead was at six. The ’05-06 Irish came back to hold a slim lead for most of the next few minutes, during which the ’16-17 Irish tied it back up and even briefly retook the lead. But Chris Quinn hit a dagger 3-pointer with 54 seconds left to put the ’05-06 Irish up six, and the ’16-17 Irish sealed their fate when they couldn’t score again.

Colin Falls led all scorers with 22 points and created a lethal duo with Quinn, who had a double-double of 20 points and 10 assists. Falls and Quinn made all 10 of their collective free throws, and they were a combined 8 of 14 from 3-point range. Russell Carter scored 14 points, and Torin Francis nearly achieved a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Luke Zeller scored 11 off the bench.

Steve Vasturia led the ’16-17 Irish with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Bonzie Colson had a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Matt Farrell came close to one of his own with nine points and 10 assists. V.J. Beachem scored 16, and Rex Pflueger had 11.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 7 Seed – 2015-16 Irish

It seems odd that a team that made the Elite Eight would be seeded so low in our Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament.

It seems odd that a team that made the Elite Eight would be seeded so low in our Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament, but that goes to show this team wasn’t expected to repeat what it did the year before. Yet somehow, it happened. The 2015-16 Irish finished the season 24-12. You never would have thought this team got on a roll when it counted the most.

The Irish never had a winning streak longer than four games, which resulted in an 11-7 ACC record. The highlight of the regular season was an 80-76 win over No. 2 North Carolina in South Bend, so at 16-7, all they had to do after that was tread water, and they’d make the NCAA tournament. They did just that, even securing a second-round bye in the conference tourney. What followed was a March Madness no one could have expected.

As a No. 6 seed, the Irish got to play 11th-seeded Michigan in the first round and needed a second-half comeback to earn a seven-point win. Against 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin, they nearly fell a team threatening to make a deep Cinderella run but for Rex Pflueger’s thrilling last-second tip-in that gave them a one-point victory. They defeated Wisconsin by five in the Sweet Sixteen before the Tar Heels got their revenge from earlier in the season by dealing the Irish a 14-point loss. Having gotten that far, there was nothing to be ashamed of.

All five of Notre Dame’s regular starters finished with scoring averages in double digits, paced by 15.8 points a game from Demetrius Jackson, who also led the Irish with 4.7 assists a game. Zach Auguste averaged a double-double with 14.0 points and 10.7 rebounds a game. Rounding out the high scorers were V.J. Beachem (12.0), Steve Vasturia (11.4) and Bonzie Colson (11.1).

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 5 Seed – 2016-17 Irish

The most recent Notre Dame team to make the NCAA tournament played during the 2016-17 season.

The most recent Notre Dame team to make the NCAA tournament played during the 2016-17 season. It was clear this team was special when it got off to a 9-0 start, which including winning the Legends Classic. The Irish split the final four nonconference games to finish that part of the schedule 11-2.

The goodness continued when the Irish won six of their first seven ACC games. After that, they followed a four-game skid with a six-game winning streak. Ultimately, they finished in a three-way tie for second in the conference at 12-6, got to the title game in the conference tournament and defeated Princeton in the first round of the Big Dance before falling to West Virginia in the second. A 26-10 season was one to be proud.

Notre Dame’s top four scorers all reached double figures, and all of them started every game. Bonzie Colson averaged a double-double of 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds a game and also led the team in blocks (1.4). Matt Farrell had 14.1 points and a team-high 5.4 assists a game. Steve Vasturia attributed part of his 13.1 points a game to a whopping 91-percent shooting from the free-throw line, and V.J. Beachem provided additional scoring at 14.5 points a game.

Though the Irish ranked near the bottom overall in free-throw attempts (611), their .800 shooting percentage from the charity stripe was the best in the country, so opponents were wise to avoid fouling them whenever possible.

Notre Dame Basketball: Dealing With the Deacons

After dealing with the ACC’s wrath for Mike Brey calling out its officiating, Notre Dame will get back to action Wednesday when Wake Forest comes to South Bend. The Irish (11-8, 2-6) need some luck after losing four of their past five games, and the …

After dealing with the ACC’s wrath for Mike Brey calling out its officiating, Notre Dame will get back to action Wednesday when Wake Forest comes to South Bend. The Irish (11-8, 2-6) need some luck after losing four of their past five games, and the Demon Deacons (9-10, 2-7) might be the antidote they seek.

While John Mooney no longer has his 12-game double-double streak intact, program history still can be made Tuesday. T.J. Gibbs needs only two points to pass Steve Vasturia as the Irish’s all-time leading scorer in ACC regular-season games. It would take him 11 fewer games than it took for Vasturia to reach his mark.

Keep an eye on Dane Goodwin, who has scored in double figures in each of Notre Dame’s past four games.  With an 11.9 scoring average, he’s the only ACC player to average double figures while starting less than three games. As far as points scored only in games off the bench, Goodwin is fourth in the conference at 12.1 points a game.