Being a veteran boys' basketball coach means you have the end-of-the-season, console-the-team speech down pat.

Bountiful coach Mike Maxwell starts out by thanking his Braves for their effort, then he picks out the seniors one-by-one, saying he's going to miss this one and can't figure out how he'll ever replace that one before wishing them well in life after school. Then he challenges the underclassmen to step up and fill the role of the outgoing veterans.

Well, Maxwell scanned the locker room following last week's 64-53 overtime loss to eventual state runner-up Mountain Crest and realized he needed an extemporaneous oration.

There were no Braves seniors to bid farewell.

The speech was exciting. Going into next season with five returning starters does wonders for public speaking skills.

"I love this team," Maxwell said. "We're only going to get better."

A team that Maxwell once described as "five scared juniors" came together, overtook Olympus for the Region 6 title, outlasted Orem in a first-round playoff scare and then had Mountain Crest on the ropes in the quarterfinals before the taller Mustangs came together late in the game behind 27 points from Matt Stewart and the 7-foot presence of Cal Hanks.

Still, Bountiful led by as many as nine points and had a look at a potential game-winner before overtime.

"That Stewart is a veteran player and he found a way to score, score, score. He just kept getting buckets," Maxwell said. "But look what we did -- take a No. 1 team with a 7-footer and an All-State player and a bunch of juniors take them to overtime.

"I'm proud of these kids in what they accomplished and how far they came," Maxwell said. "People looked at us and thought maybe we win five games and no way we get to the final eight. It's a compliment to the kids' effort.

What Maxwell liked about this edition was the Braves' chemistry and attention to detail.

"This team came together and was unselfish," Maxwell said. "They really didn't care who scored or who got the glory.

"We got our turnovers under 10 a game once we got into region play and even though we couldn't outrebound many people, we boxed out and made every rebound an effort," Maxwell said. "The kids learned how to play the game. This isn't junior jazz, it's not sophomore or junior varsity, it's varsity ball and there's a little learning curve. They learned quick. If we keep the learning curve going, I like where we can be."

Among the returning players Maxwell can build around is point guard Dillon Salazar and his all-around game.

"It starts with him,'' Maxwell said of Salazar. "He did a great job of running out team. Once we got his turnovers under control and he started setting everyone up, we knew he could do and he did it."

Also returning will be McKay LaSalle, who led the Braves with a 16 point scoring average and 76 three-pointers.

"I don't know if there's a better shooter that I've ever had," Maxwell said. "At the same time, he has a knack for the game. He knows when to make steals, knows when to make passes or penetrate when he doesn't have the shot."

Nick Williams, who averaged 14 points a night, is "just a player" and could alleviate the Braves' size problem.

"He grew 2 inches this year and he's not done," Maxwell said.

Growing is a good thing for the Braves.