SANTA ROSA, CA – Some girls crave a lot of attention both on and off the court, or one or the other, but not Cardinal Newman senior star Avery Cargill.
On Tuesday it was Senior Night at Cardinal Newman in their North Bay League – Oak Division game against Windsor, and since Cargill is the only senior on the Cal-Hi Sports state No. 17 and Prep2Prep No. 5 ranked Cardinals she had no choice but to take center stage.
Avery looked a little shy in all the photos with her family and team, and the pomp and circumstance that preceded the tip-off, but once the game started Cargill was all business after finishing with 18 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals in a 78-27 victory in which she rode the pine for most of the fourth quarter after Newman Coach Monica Mertle emptied the bench.
The theme of the night was “Ohana” or “extended family” in Hawaiian, and the theme was chosen not only because Cargill has decided to attend Hawaii-Pacific University, but also because it’s her family and the extended family of the Cardinals basketball team and the Newman community that’s so very important in her life.
Cargill made her mark on the court and in the classroom right from the start. As a freshman the four-year starter was trusted so much by the coaching staff she was named captain on a team that ended up winning it all, a North Bay League championship, a CIF North Coast Section Division IV title, a CIF Northern Regional Division IV championship, and a state CIF Division IV crown.
“Avery has been a tremendous leader over the past four years and is without a doubt one of the most accomplished student-athletes in school history,” Mertle remarked. “Her commitment to excellence, both in the classroom and on the court is truly special.”
“She is loved and respected by her teammates, her coaches, and everyone else in our community,” continued Mertle. “As a coach I find myself constantly turning to her for player feedback and insight.”
Before we get to all the additional basketball accolades Cargill has piled up, what must be noted is probably the most important part of Avery’s high school career.
Besides being named team captain as a freshman, the somewhat diminutive 5-6 point guard has not only been huge on the court, but she’s been a giant in the classroom. From the time she walked through the doors at Cardinal Newman Cargill has never recorded anything other than an “A” and is maintaining a 4.3 GPA. You can’t do much better than that.
What makes Cargill so special on the court is she doesn’t need to and usually doesn’t look to score, but even so the career assists leader at Newman is within range of the girls and boys career scoring mark.
After 18 points and four assists in a 66-37 victory on Thursday over NBL – Oak cross-town arch rival Montgomery that got Avery to 58-0 in league in her career at Newman, she now has 593 career assists, and her 1,469 points is second to the 1,581 points of Maiya Flores, a teammate of Cargill for three years before graduating in 2018.
After Thursday night’s game Cargill is currently averaging right around 16 points and a little over five assists per game.
The regular season is over and Cargill has now been a member of four league champions, and will look for a fourth playoff crown when the NBL – Oak playoffs start on Tuesday.
At around 16 points per game, and needing 113 points to pass Flores, who was in the fifth grade when Cargill started playing as a fourth-grader for her father Mark, Flores, she needs seven or eight games to catch her childhood friend and teammate, and that means Avery likely needs to help lead the team into at least the NorCal second round.
In her first three years Cargill has been a Cal-Hi Sports all-state selection every season, all North Bay League First Team all three years, and last year, playing alongside Flores and current standout junior Anya Choice, Avery was named the MVP of the league.
Through it all she has been a humble, quiet, but strong leader. Last year, while leading the Cardinals to the second NCS runner-up finish in her three years after a 50-46 loss to Salesian-Richmond in the title game, and then a trip to Stockton to meet St. Mary’s in a NorCal Open Division first round game where Newman bowed out, she had to lead the team through some trying times.
The fires in Santa Rosa that destroyed most of the school but not the gym, and took the home of the Flores family plus others in the Newman community, took its toll on the entire team.
Before they could return to their gym the girls had to play 20-games on the road. Through it all Cargill not only had to help lead the team as its captain, but support her friend and teammate Flores.
Making it to the Open Division under those circumstances as a team, and for Cargill to win the league MVP award, is pretty amazing.
The reality is Cargill is pretty amazing because she doesn’t care if she flies a little under the radar screen by not displaying a flashy game. Another reality is she gets it done without all the pizzazz some players like to display.
“I not flashy on the court and I don’t worry about flashy stuff,” Cargill said. “I think most of it is because that’s the way I was brought up. I just want to win. That’s how I play and how I am.”
Her father Roman, who played football and baseball at Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park and then in college, was there for her on Senior Night just like he has been helping her improve her game since she took a liking to basketball when she was six-years old. So was her mother Lynn, who grew up in San Francisco and has seen her share of gyms hauling Avery to games, practices and tournaments. Her biggest fans, little sister Kaia, who is following in big sis’ footsteps as a pretty good hoopster, and baseball, basketball and football playing little brother Zion, were also part of the Senior Night festivities.
Community service
If everything about Cargill you already read isn’t enough, she and her partner on a community service project, Cardinal Newman football star Dino Kahaulelio, who on Friday was named Cal-Hi Sports First Team All State Medium Schools for defense, have embarked on a very ambitious Community Based Service Learning Project.
The project is a room renovation. Cargill and Kahaulelio, who has had his own situation to deal with due to the passing last year of his mother, will be renovating the bedroom of an 11-year old boy that has undergone chemotherapy and lost his left leg due to cancer.
They have a GoFundMe page and are raising money to purchase the necessities for his bedroom and fully renovating the room in March. They also hope to build a bond of friendship with the boy to enhance his self-esteem by giving him his dream room.
Her friend Flores did the project last year and when Cargill decided to do it this year she thought of Kahaulelio.
“With the impact of his mother passing I thought this would be something good for him to do,” Cargill said.
Avery was correct because while she was directing the Newman girls on Tuesday her partner on the project was busy working the crowd for donations to the cause.
The project will soon end and graduation is right around the corner. After that it’s off to Hawaii-Pacific where Cargill will play basketball and study Psychology.
At some point playing basketball at an educational institution will come to an end for Avery, but not quite yet.
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to play Division I but at Hawaii-Pacific I felt like I belonged, it was a good fit, and my parents liked it. It felt like a second home.” Cargill said.
When asked about what basketball has meant to her Cargill did not hesitate.
“I couldn’t imagine my life without it. If things were happening in life I could go shoot and get through it. Basketball is part of who I am and I would not change it for anything.”
And neither would anyone who has seen her play basketball, study in the classroom, and lead by example. Avery Cargill is a truly amazing young woman.
If you would like to make a donation to the Community Based Service Learning Project here is a link to the GoFundMe page https://www.gofundme.com/bdhhj-room-renovation?member=706150
