Bandits BC Player of the Week Presented by A&W Canada: January 5, 2024
Bandits Staff • January 5, 2024
As British Columbia's professional basketball team, the Vancouver Bandits are excited to celebrate young student-athletes across our province who are achieving success on and off the court. These are the BC Players of the Week presented by A&W Canada and the Vancouver Bandits for the week preceding January 5, 2024.
Gwen Storry: Senior Girls, Merritt Secondary School
"Gwen is playing in her second year of organized basketball and is a starting guard on the Senior Girls team despite being in Grade 9. At a recent tournament, Gwen averaged 32 points per game and her ferocious defense and aggressive basket attacks fuelled back-to-back wins for her team." -Jeremy Storry, coach
Basheer Al-Tabbaa: Junior Boys, RC Palmer Secondary School (Richmond)
"Basheer is consistent on his gameplay but has also shown unconditional support to his teammates and made sure they always play their best. He has a unique arsenal of skills and a mindset that can't be beat, the skill set has exceeded beyond imaginable. He is notably one of Palmer's dependant players, Basheer can only go up and beyond from here." -Megan Tolentino, coach
They will each receive a prize pack courtesy of the Vancouver Bandits and A&W Canada. To learn how you can nominate a local middle or secondary school student-athlete, follow this link for full details.
LATEST NEWS
The Vancouver Bandits announced Friday that the club has signed Houston Rockets’ NBA G League guard John Knight III to its roster for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. Knight, a 6-foot-3 guard from Jackson, Miss., has spent the past three seasons in the NBA G League with the Houston Rockets’ minor league affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he became known for his dunking ability and shutdown defensive skills. During the 2025-26 season, Knight averaged 7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while playing 31.1 minutes per night across 34 games with 29 starts. “We are really excited to add John to our roster this summer. He is an explosive, high-level athlete who can impact the game on both ends and defend multiple positions,” said head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “He has had real success in the NBA G League, and we expect him to bring that same production, toughness, and versatility to our group right away.” Prior to the NBA G league, Knight made his professional debut during the 2022-23 season with Norwegian club Frøya Basket where he averaged 22.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.3 rebounds per game. Knight led the team in all categories, as well as steals (104), blocks (39), and minutes played (1363). Before turning pro, Knight attended Utah State University during the 2018-19 season before transferring to Southern Utah University from 2019 to 2022. During his time with the Thunderbirds, Knight earned First Team All-Big Sky Conference honours in 2022 during his senior year. Knight will reunite with fellow Thunderbird alumnus and recent Bandits free agent signing Tevian Jones, who both shared the court during the 2021-22 season. The Bandits open the 2026 CEBL season on Thursday, May 14 on the road in Saskatoon before coming home for its Home Opener against the Edmonton Stingers on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. Bandits Single Game Tickets and additional 2026 ticket options can be purchased here . All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, the CEBL Mobile app, the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Marquee games will air nationally on CBC TV. More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.
The Vancouver Bandits announced Thursday that the club has signed Trinity Western University (TWU) product Jack Vandenberg to its roster for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. A six-foot tall guard from Vancouver, Vandenberg earned an invitation to the inaugural Bandits University Combine. 40 local student-athletes competed against each other, developing their game against B.C.’s top young talent and with the help of Bandits coaching staff. The club hosted the combine to identify players who can make an impact in training camp and potentially sign to its roster for the upcoming 2026 season. “Jack Vandenberg is one of the premier shooters in Canada. He proved it again at our combine, where he stood out for his elite space and shot-making,” said head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “Having coached him in the gym, I know he’s tough, a leader on his university team, and a player who is going to help push our culture forward.” Julius stressed the importance of Vandenberg’s ability to space the floor in training camp, which begins on Tuesday, May 5. “We are excited to add his toughness and sharpshooting as we gear up for camp,” he continued. In his junior year at TWU during the 2025-26 season, Vandenberg led his team with 15.8 points-per-game while also averaging 3.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 20 games with 19 starts. He led the Canada West conference in three-pointers made, finishing with 75 makes on 175 attempts. Vandenberg shot .429 per cent from beyond the arc, ranking 4th in the conference. Prior to his time with the Spartans, Vandenberg attended Montreal’s Concordia University in the 2022-23 season. An alumnus of St. George’s School in Vancouver, he earned Second Team All-Star honours at the 2022 BC 4A Boys Basketball Provincial Championship where he helped lead his school to a top 10 finish in his senior year. Fans will get their first chance to watch the Bandits’ new-look roster in a charitable preseason game on Saturday, May 9 at 5:00 p.m. at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre when the club faces the Sikh Warriors from ESPN’s The Basketball Tournament. Preseason tickets are on sale at this link , with proceeds benefitting the Bandits Community Foundation. The Bandits open the 2026 CEBL season on Thursday, May 14 on the road in Saskatoon before coming home for its Home Opener against the Edmonton Stingers on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. A full game schedule can be viewed here . Bandits Single Game Tickets and additional 2026 ticket options can be purchased here . All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, the CEBL Mobile app, the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Marquee games will air nationally on CBC TV. More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.
The Vancouver Bandits announced Wednesday that the club has signed the University of British Columbia Okanagan’s (UBCO) all-time leading scorer and assist leader Jalen Shirley to its roster for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. A six-foot guard from Brampton, Ont., Shirley was invited to participate in the inaugural Bandits University Combine, hosted by the club to identify players to invite to training camp and add to its roster for the upcoming 2026 season. Shirley was one of 40 student-athletes from local universities, earning a spot on the Bandits 2026 training camp roster, beginning on May 5. “At our combine, Jalen stood out for not getting sped up and playing with control,” said head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “We are thrilled to bring him in and give him the platform to develop into a top-tier professional as he transitions from university to the next level.” He averaged 20.8 points per game in his final season (2025-26), which ranked second in the Canada West conference, as well as 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 34.4 minutes played per game across 23 games and starts. His play earned him Canada West Third Team All-Star honours. Shirley finished his six-year university career as the UBCO Heat’s all-time leader in points and assists, while ranking second all-time in steals, and received the school’s men’s Graduating Athlete of the Year award. “Jalen is an elite U SPORTS point guard who plays the game with solid poise and pace. In pick-and-roll situations, he plays with flow and gets to his spots,” added Julius. Fans will get their first chance to watch the Bandits’ new-look roster in a charitable preseason game on Saturday, May 9 at 5:00 p.m. at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre when the club faces the Sikh Warriors from ESPN’s The Basketball Tournament. Preseason tickets are on sale at this link , with proceeds benefitting the Bandits Community Foundation. The Bandits open the 2026 CEBL season on Thursday, May 14 on the road in Saskatoon before coming home for its Home Opener against the Edmonton Stingers on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. A full game schedule can be viewed here . Bandits Single Game Tickets and additional 2026 ticket options can be purchased here . All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, the CEBL Mobile app, the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Marquee games will air nationally on CBC TV.
The Vancouver Bandits announced Tuesday that the club has signed University of Victoria Vikes standout and former U SPORTS national champion Shadynn Smid for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. A 6-foot-7 forward from Duncan, B.C., Smid has spent the last four years playing post-secondary basketball with the University of Victoria. He helped lead the Vikes to a U SPORTS Final 8 appearance in each of his four years with the program, a run that included three Canada West conference championships and a U SPORTS national championship in 2024-25. Smid was one of 40 men’s basketball student-athletes invited to the Bandits University Combine , hosted by the club to identify players to invite to training camp and add to its roster for the upcoming 2026 season. The signing marks Smid’s first-ever professional contract and he will join the club for 2026 Training Camp, commencing on Tuesday, May 5. “Shadynn is a rare combination of elite athleticism and growing skill. He was one of the best players in Canada and we think he can impact winning for us right away,” said head coach and general manager, Kyle Julius. “Shadynn is an explosive athlete who brings a relentless motor every time he steps on the floor. He embodies our team’s culture and we are excited to get to work with him.” He started 25 of 26 games in the 2025-26 season, averaging 13.4 points and pulling down a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game en route to earning Canada West Second Team All-Star honours. Prior to his post-secondary career, Smid attended Cowichan (now Quw’utsun) Secondary. Internationally, Smid represented Canada at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games where he competed in 3x3 basketball. As part of the CEBL’s long-standing partnership with U SPORTS, Canadian men’s basketball student-athletes can be signed to CEBL Developmental Player Contracts therefore retaining a student-athlete’s post-secondary eligibility.
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