When Steve Vasturia was offered a scholarship by Notre Dame last month, it made enough of an impact on the 6-foot-4 Philadelphia shooting guard for him to schedule an unofficial visit to South Bend.
The 2013 prospect and his parents made that visit the first weekend of September and were able to take in the Irish’s football opener against South Florida.
“It was great,” said Vasturia. “I had a really good time. We got to tour the whole campus and meet the players. The game was kind of wild, but besides that it was great.”
Vasturia lasted through one weather delay, but didn’t return after a second.
“We went back to one of the player’s dorms and hung out there,” said Vasturia. “Then we went back in, but after the second one, we just left.”
Despite the two-hour delay, Vasturia was impressed with the atmosphere at the game.
“It was crazy,” he said. “I’ve never really been to a big game like that. The fans and the buzz around campus was amazing.”
It was the first time on campus for Vasturia and his parents, who accompanied him on the trip.
“It’s beautiful,” he said of the Notre Dame campus. “You see some of the classes and dorms and stuff and the church, it’s an amazing place.
“My parents got to experience it too, which is nice. They thought the same. They loved it. They really enjoyed meeting the coaches and the football game too.”
Vasturia enjoyed his time with the Notre Dame basketball staff.
“They just talked about their program and how they think I’d be a good fit, the success they’ve had and the kind of players they get,” he said. “They seem like good people. They’re really nice and they helped us out a lot, getting to know the school and players.”
Prior to the football game, Vasturia and fellow recruits Austin Burgett and Demetrious Jackson got to play pickup ball with the current Irish players.
“They were all really great,” said Vasturia. “It was cool to be able to play with them. They were really cool. I played two or three games and everyone shares the ball and stuff. It was just nice to be able to get to know them and run with them a little bit.”
Vasturia was able to get enough shots up to impress Jackson.
Vasturia, whose offer list also includes Boston College, La Salle, Northwestern, St. Joseph’s and Temple, is planning to see Penn State and Northwestern soon, but said, “I think that’s it for the next month or so.”
Vasturia has no timeline for a decision and said he’ll compare all of the schools before narrowing things down.
The recruiting calendar allows high school basketball players to sign National Letters of Intent twice during the year. Other dates to watch out for:
