After Tubbs fire, Cardinal Newman teams to return to home gym next week

For the Cardinal Newman basketball program, the time is near when “Home Sweet Home” becomes a reality instead of a wish.

Having been nomads the entire season due to the October wildfires that damaged part of the Cardinal Newman campus - requiring the entire school be closed - six Cardinals basketball teams (freshman, junior varsity and varsity for both boys and girls) have not played a single game at home.

That all changes in less than a week. The campus reopens to students on Monday, with the varsity girls hosting Ukiah on Tuesday and the varsity boys hosting Ukiah Wednesday. Both squads will play their remaining five North Bay League games at home after the Ukiah dates.

“We are looking forward to playing at home. We have had tremendous success on our home floor over our 50 years of history in basketball at our school,” Cardinal Newman varsity boys coach Tom Bonfigli said. “Buildings don’t win games, but on the other hand, the home court is a big advantage.”

Not that playing on the road has translated into losses - in fact, quite the opposite. As of Tuesday, the varsity girls were alone in first place with a record of 6-0 in the NBL and 14-3 overall; while the varsity boys were in a three-way tie for first place with Montgomery and Windsor with a 5-1, 15-3 record.

“We travel a lot anyways and we have lot of road games typically. These girls are resilient,” varsity girls coach Monica Mertle said. “Basketball has been a bright spot amongst a lot of adversity. We try and use the fires as motivation.”

While the lack of home games hasn’t affected the success of the Cardinals’ two varsity teams, it has affected the routine and normalcy of the season.

“Give our kids a lot of credit. They have been on the road every game but still are playing at a high level. I am proud of my guys going 15-3 having not played a game in our home gym,” Bonfigli said. “But it’s always good to be at home. That’s why you play so hard during the regular season, so you can get home games during section playoffs.”

Mertle said Cardinals teams have been practicing at their campus gym since early December, but fire codes still needed to be cleared in order for crowds to be allowed in - so no home games have been allowed until next week.

“The team has missed playing in our gym. It is home. The girls have put in a lot of hours at our gym. Returning is going to make them happy,” Mertle said. “It is less about an advantage than about a return to normalcy.”

So far this season, the varsity girls have played their “home” games and hosted their holiday tournament at Santa Rosa Junior College. Mertle has done the organizing and rescheduling for all games.

“SRJC has been very helpful and supportive,” Mertle said. “They have a beautiful gym.”

The varsity boys practiced for a few months at Geyserville High, then played most of their home games and hosted their holiday tournament at Maria Carrillo High. The Cardinals also played home games at Elsie Allen High.

Assistant athletic director Jerry Bonfigli, Tom’s brother, did the work rescheduling games and practices for the boys teams.

“I don’t think anyone (outside the Cardinal Newman school community, students and parents) really grasps the difficulty we have dealt with during the basketball season,” Bonfigli said. “Maria Carrillo, Geyserville and Elsie Allen have gone above and beyond and helped us out with whatever we needed. The Santa Rosa City Schools have been a lifesaver. I’ve had great support from the other coaches in the area and I greatly appreciate that. I’ll never forget it.”

Come next week, it might be a strange feeling for the Cardinals to play at home without first boarding a team bus to travel to a gym at a rival school.

But it will be a change that is certainly welcome.

“There is no place like home,” Mertle said with a laugh.

And NBL opponents should brace for Cardinal Newman teams that are not only playing top-notch ball but - unlike the first round of league play - will have the full force of their home fans once again rooting them on in familiar surroundings.

“Where would you rather be in a big game other than in your own gym?” Bonfigli said.