Fresh off his championship win as the Cranston East boys volleyball coach, Jhamal Diggs will be sticking around for the upcoming winter as he was hired as the school’s new boys basketball coach.

Diggs has grown into one of the most recognizable young coaches in Rhode Island. He coached the East girls from 2019-2021 and helped revive the program as the Bolts reached the Division II playoffs and open state tournament in consecutive years.

He then spent a season as an assistant for the Rhode Island College women’s team before taking the reins at Johnston High as the girls hoops coach. Once again, he helped revitalize a struggling program as he led the Panthers to the Division IV championship game in his first season. Johnston was elevated to Division II this past winter and the team still managed to qualify for the postseason.

Diggs just earned his first-ever championship with the East volleyball team, as the Bolts pulled off a historic upset of undefeated North Kingstown in the DI title game. 

Now, he will be called on again to lift a rebuilding program. The Bolts have not reached the playoffs since the 2019 season and finished last year with a 4-11 league record.

Although Diggs has proven to be capable of jumpstarting programs, he is also aware of the work that goes into turning a reeling program around. 

“I’ve been known for revamping programs, but this is going to be a challenge. I’ll have to come in, get to know the kids, get to know what we need in order to build them up. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m willing to dedicate my time and efforts to get these kids to where they need to be,” said Diggs. “I understand the kids, I understand the community and I feel like I have what it takes to build them up to where they need to be and better.”

Returning for the Bolts will be guys like Mohammed Gueye, Jeremiah Sainristil and Alex Fernandez. Gueye and Fernandez were starters for the Bolts last year while Sainristil became a key component off the bench and figures to grab a starting spot next winter.

“They play a lot of AAU ball. Alex was a starter, so was Mohammed, Sainristil has been in the program for a few years, so they’re experienced. It will be different, they’ve had a few different coaches, so it will be different, but we’re already in the gym and ready to get to work,” said Diggs.

Diggs is excited to return to the East sideline, the place where his head coaching career tipped off and has become what he considers to be his home. 

“The support, the kids, it’s just a home feeling. This is where I started my coaching career as a head coach. It’s just a home feeling and I get support from the administrators and community. It’s just a great, positive energy, and since winning the championship, that energy has grown even more,” said Diggs.

As for Johnston, the team will now begin its search for the next girls coach. The Panthers will return to Division II and will bring back nearly its entire roster, including girls like Annabella Gesualdi and Alanna Colon, among others.

Diggs is proud of what he and the Panthers accomplished in his two seasons on Cherry Hill.

“I’ll definitely miss the players. I helped rejuvenate that program back to a competitive standing and I was able to help the girls love basketball again and have fun playing the game. The fact they were able to come together and be one of the first teams to play at the AMP, that meant a lot, that meant more to me than winning,” said Diggs. “Helping girls like Jayanah Rollins, who was coming off two ACL tears, she thought basketball would be over for her, so to help her get that confidence to come back and play and now she’s at CCRI. Those (are the things) I’ll take away.”

As for the Bolts, who will have their hands full this coming season, Diggs is looking for them to play as a unit and maximize their talent. 

“Be willing to adapt, be willing to learn and willing to apply. Learn what I teach you, then apply it. And playing together. From what I’ve seen so far, we have good kids that are athletic. We just need to play together,” said Diggs.