Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Sophomore guard Steve Vasturia started each of Notre Dame's 31 regular-sea- son games during its run to a 26-5 record and top-three finish in the ACC (14-4). Vasturia averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds during the regular season and has consistently been one of Notre Dame's top defenders. His minutes increased from 23.1 per contest as a freshman to 31.5 in his second season. Even during the preseason, coach Mike Brey said he considered Vasturia to be a junior in experience. Nickname: "Steve." Dorm: "Siegfried." Major: "Business management." Favorite Class: "Management." Favorite TV show: "'The Sopranos.'" Favorite Movie Right Now: "'Wedding Crashers.'" Role Model: "My brother." Best Player You've Played Against: "[Teammate] Jerian [Grant]." Player You Model Your Game After: "My older brother." Last Meal If You Could Pick: "Chicken parm." Getting To Know … SOPHOMORE GUARD STEVE VASTURIA Matt Hegarty To Use Fifth Season Elsewhere By August, Notre Dame needs to pare down its 2015 football scholarship roster by about five for the NCAA-allotted 85 per team. One of them was not expected to be center/offensive guard Matt Hegarty. A 13-game starter the past two seasons, mainly at center, the 6-4½, 295-pound Hegarty told ESPN.com on March 4 that after his graduation this May, he will be eligible to play his fifth season in 2015 at a school still to be determined. As a sophomore in 2012, the Aztec, N.M., native suffered a stroke during a November practice that required surgery to mend holes in his heart. It seemed doubtful at the time that playing football would ever be an option again, but he basically was the starting center the final three games of 2013 when Nick Martin was injured, and he started each of the final 11 games last season, the first at guard and the last 10 at center. "I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that the Notre Dame football program has afforded me," Hegarty said in a statement to ESPN.com. "I want to thank Notre Dame, my coaches, my teammates and friends at school for the four great years I had at Notre Dame. I also want to thank the Notre Dame Na-