The Cranston West boys basketball team is gearing up for another season after having a bounce back campaign in 2022-23.

After a shaky start to last year, the Falcons would catch fire down the stretch and win 10 of their final 11 regular season games before falling to Burrillville in the Division II preliminary round.

The Falcons have been hungry to return to the postseason and take another step forward, and have not left the floor since the playoff exit.

“It gave us great momentum. Our seniors last year and at all levels of our program, everyone really bought in. Toughness and togetherness, those are the two words we use every single day. Our seniors this year were in the gym the next day after we lost to Burrillville. The kids have been in the gym all spring, summer and fall,” said West coach James Sweeney, who returns for his second season.

“We got a taste. I think we did better than most people thought we would. We won 11 games, got into the playoffs. It leaves our returning players wanting more,” Sweeney added. “It makes them think, ‘What can we do next? Can we get a playoff win, can we get a home playoff game, can we make the Final Four?’”

The Falcons did lose significant minutes, though, as four of their seniors graduated.

“This is going to be a different style of team this year. We’re going to have four new starters, so it’s a completely different roster, but we’re making the transition well. Although we lost a lot, we have a lot returning. A lot of these guys got minutes off the bench and were around it. These practices were more competitive in July than they were in the playoffs last year. This group competes,” said Sweeney.

The team’s lone returning starter is Jaymien Aponte, who had a breakout year last season and figures to be an All-Division candidate as the team’s No. 1.

Sweeney is excited to see Aponte take ownership as the team’s captain and will rely on him heavily, especially in the early going as the coaching staff settles on a lineup.

“We go as far as Jaymien takes us. To win at this level, you have to have yourself a guy. Someone that can get you a bucket, a rebound, a stop. Jaymien Aponte is the face of the Cranston West program right now,” said Sweeney. “He was the first person I spoke to after the season last year. He struggled in that Burrillville game and I told him, ‘Imagine how much better you can be with another offseason? To be able to make sure that next time you’re in this position, you’re the best player on the floor.’ He’s embraced that. He has the personality, he has the work ethic to be the guy.”