Tom Bonfigli was named the head boys basketball coach at St Vincent de Paul last month, and has begun putting a staff in place for all three levels.
Bonfigli will retain Chris Tobin to lead the freshman squad. Tobin coached the JV team the last three seasons, and coached the freshman team previously from 2013-2017.
“He is a St Vincent guy. He wants to learn, and is so excited to be apart of our program. He’s a great addition.” said Bonfigli”
Bonfigli has hired Nick Iacopi to be his head JV coach. Iacopi spent five years at Casa Grande serving as the head freshman coach from 2010-2013, and the head JV coach from 2013-2015 for the late James Forni. After a year off, he joined the Petaluma varsity staff under Scott Behrs from 2016-2019. He helped the Trojans to two league playoff appearances, one league title game, and one NCS Playoff appearance in three seasons.
“I think Nick (Iacopi) is one of the best coaches in the empire. He’s a fundamentalist, knows the game, and players love him.” Bonfigli said.
Iacopi will be assisted by John Molinari. Molinari was the freshman assistant coach in the 2015-2016 season at Petaluma, while then from 2016-2019 serving as the head Freshman coach. Molinari played his prep ball at Petaluma from 2011-2015.
Bonfigli will still need to round up the rest of his staff, including finding a varsity assistant, but is off to a good start.
“I couldn’t be happier with the staff I have so far. I trust them. They’re loyal, they’re basketball guys, and they’re all about the kids.” he commented.
He is also about to begin to reach out to some of his players, saying “I got the contact info for my players, and will be calling them one on one, and speaking with the parents.”
Bonfigli is very eager to get started at St Vincent, but is still finishing up his teaching duties at Cardinal Newman. His faith has been known to be one of the most important aspects of his life, saying that he attends daily mass every morning, and prays the rosary every day. He thinks St Vincent de Paul is the right spot for him at this time.
“I love the vision that Pat Daly (Principal) has. His vision of a Catholic school is very similar to mine.” Bonfigli said.
“I enjoy the fact that I can freely share my faith as a coach, teacher, and mentor. You only teach kids effectively when you walk the walk, and do as you say. I have made a lot of changes for the better over the last 25 years, and it’s been through the grace of God. ” He said further.
He spoke about his goals for the Mustang program would be very similar to the ones he set at Cardinal Newman.
“You gotta teach kids to play hard, and that selfishness is not acceptable. Buying in is extremely important. Every single player has to buy in. The 12th player on the team has to be as valuable as the first player. That’s the culture that you need to have. My players will play as a team, play hard, play the game the right way. Our record will take care of itself.” He noted.
As far as scheduling is concerned, he has the Mustangs in two tournaments already at Cloverdale and at Kelseyville, while hoping to join another small school tournament in Lake County.
He recognizes the jump from the NCL to the NBL-Redwood by saying “It is going to be a lot of work, and a lot of patience. We got our work cut out for us, but we won’t be intimidated by anything.”
As for how long the 816 game winner has left in the tank, he told me that his health is fantastic, and wants to build something special at St Vincent de Paul High School. He’s been grateful for the support of Principal Daly and Athletic Director Tony Keefer.
This past season, he led Cardinal Newman to a 21-8 overall record, and a 6-4 third place finish in the NBL-Oak. Bonfigli and his Cardinals hit milestone win No. 800 on Dec. 12 with a 70-50 win over Maria Carrillo in the opening round of the Rose City Tournament. He is 9th on the all time California High School Basketball Coaches win list.
Bonfigli won 591 games at Cardinal Newman and 16 North Bay League championships.
Bonfigli led Newman to a state title game in 2013, losing to Pacific Hills from Los Angeles 58-52.
In other news:
Montgomery, Windsor, Cardinal Newman and Napa are still looking for new head coaches, with some to have decisions in the coming days and weeks, while others are a while out.
Zac Tiedeman stepped away from his head coaching position at Montgomery last month to spend more time with his family.
Tiedeman spent five seasons at the helm of the Vikings, leading them to an overall record of 97-52 record.
Windsor Head Coach Jared Greninger stepped away in March. Windsor was moved down into the NBL-Redwood for at least the next two seasons.
Greninger compiled a 20-33 record in two seasons, and finished 4th in the NBL-Oak this past season.
Zack Cook resigned from his post at Napa High last week. His team won the inaugural VVAL championship in 2018-2019. Cook will become an assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Napa Valley College.
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