Bandits fall to Calgary to wrap up four-game homestand

The Vancouver Bandits have announced that Kyle Julius has stepped down as head coach to accept a head coaching position in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Julius, who has been an integral part of the organization's success since 2020, will remain with the club as general manager for the remainder of the 2026 season. The Bandits organization fully supports Julius in this next chapter of his career, with the opportunity to lead at the CBA level exemplifying the Bandits as the top development organization in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) for both players and coaches. A two-time CEBL Coach of the Year (2024, 2025), Julius guided the Bandits to two CEBL Finals appearances in 2020 and 2024 while leading the team to the postseason in each of his five seasons at the helm. In 2025, he propelled the Bandits to a .792 winning percentage (19-5), the highest by any CEBL club across a full season. "I want to thank our tremendous coaches, president Dylan Kular, our ownership group Kevin Dhaliwal, Bryan Slusarchuk, and Milan Mann, the entire Bandits organization, our players, and the incredible fans for everything we have built together over the past seven seasons. Coaching the Vancouver Bandits has been one of the greatest experiences of my career. Together, we established a culture built on energy, effort, accountability, and player development. I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished on and off the court, but even more proud of the relationships that were built along the way. This opportunity to become a head coach in the CBA is one that is very important for my family and my career and, while it is difficult to leave a place that has meant so much to us, I believe it is the right next step. I will always be grateful to everyone who believed in me and supported our journey. I will be cheering for the Bandits from afar and wish the organization nothing but continued success. Vancouver will always hold a special place in my heart,” said Julius. Julius’ relentless commitment to building a championship culture transformed the Bandits into the CEBL's premier organization, earning its status as a true destination for world-class talent and top basketball development. The Bandits have advanced players to NBA two-way contracts directly following their time with the club in each of the past three seasons, more than any other CEBL organization. "Kyle has become family. He believed in this organization and poured his heart into building something special here. His vision, passion, and commitment to developing players and people have set a standard that will define the Bandits for years to come. Beyond wins, he gave us a foundation built on passion, accountability, and genuine care for every person in our organization. I am grateful for every early morning meeting, every late-night phone call, and every moment we shared chasing this dream together. This isn't goodbye; we will be cheering louder than anyone when he succeeds in China and beyond in the next chapters of his career,” said team president Dylan Kular. Off the court, Julius participated in the Bandits' youth sports development efforts primarily through the Bandits Community Foundation School Tour. Since 2023, the free-of-charge initiative saw Julius support training and skill development directly with nearly 200 school teams across British Columbia. In addition, through the Bandits Community Foundation, Julius has hosted countless youth skill clinics and coaching seminars with athletes and volunteer coaches across the province. In a corresponding move, the Bandits have appointed Lead Assistant Coach Ransford Brempong as Head Coach for the remainder of the 2026 CEBL season. A former Canadian Senior Men's National Team member, Brempong has represented Canada at the highest level for eight years. He also played professionally for six years in Europe and was a standout NCAA DI player at Western Carolina University, where he graduated as both the program’s and conference's all-time leader in blocked shots, a record that still stands today. "The Vancouver Bandits have high expectations for our roster, and I am excited to lend my decades of experience and skills developed at the collegiate, international, and national team levels to help our players get better and to achieve success this summer,” said Brempong. Fans will have an opportunity to connect with Julius in August after he returns from training camp in China, with details to be announced in the coming weeks.

The Vancouver Bandits seemed destined for an improbable comeback. Trailing by nine points entering Target Score Time, the Bandits — fueled largely by a trio of 3-pointers from Tevin Brown — rallied to pull even with the Edmonton Stingers, leaving both teams one point away from victory. Bandits forward Mychal Mulder came up with what appeared to be a huge blocked shot. But while the loose ball was still in the air, Miller Kopp was whistled for a foul, sending Taye Donald to the free-throw line with two chances to win the game. Donald needed just one, sinking his first free throw to give the visiting Stingers a 94-93 victory in Canadian Elite Basketball League action on Friday night on Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. The Stingers improve to 7-7 while Vancouver sits at 9-5, good for a share of top spot in the Western Conference. “I think that we played with the right intensity and aggression in stints, but it was definitely not 40 minutes. And that was my message to the guys,” said Vancouver coach Rans Brempong. “You have got to come ready to play. It doesn’t matter the record, anyone can beat anyone in this league. “I appreciate the fight (we showed), but at the end of the day, it’s an ‘L’ in the column.” The Bandits led for much of the first half but held just a one-point advantage at the break before the Stingers built their lead to as many as 13 in the third quarter. “First of all, it was a great win. Most people don't know we traveled today on a plane. We got here, we ate, and we stuck together, so it was a great win on the road,” said Edmonton’s Stanley Davis Jr. The victory was a fourth straight for the Stingers and gives them a 2-1 edge in the season series over Vancouver with one head-to-head meeting still to go. “We didn’t play very well to open the season, so every game is big,” said Stingers coach Jordan Baker. “We’re trying to fight for a home playoff spot and obviously Vancouver’s been the cream of the crop in the West for the last handful of years, so for us to come in this building – it’s not an easy place to play and it’s not an easy place to win – so credit to our guys.” Tyrese Samuel led Vancouver with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Jarkel Joiner and Brown each added 19 points and Kopp finished with 14. Edmonton's bench outscored Vancouver's reserves 47-16. Davis came off the bench to lead the Stingers with 18 points, while Nick Hornsby and Donald each had 16 and Emmanuel Bandoumel had 15.  Vancouver returns to action Sunday (July 5) when it hosts the Calgary Surge in its Indigenous Heritage Game. Tip-off is set for 12:30 p.m. on Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre.

Having watched his team miss on its previous two possessions — both from beyond the arc—and with the visiting Winnipeg Sea Bears within four points, Jarkel Joiner took matters into his own hands.  “Just playing with pace, playing with my speed at the end. They didn’t get back on their last possession (and) I knew my speed was going to get me downhill,” he said. “And I missed too many lay-ups earlier, so I had to finish that one.” The lay-up helped the Vancouver Bandits reach the Target Score of 94 as they defeated the Sea Bears 94-88 on Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd on Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre on Filipino Heritage Night. The win was a measure of revenge after the Sea Bears handed the Bandits their worst loss of the season nine days earlier in Winnipeg, 114-81. Vancouver reclaims top spot in the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Western Conference at 9-4 with the Sea Bears sitting a game back at 8-5 as the season’s second-half is now underway. “They whooped us bad in Winnipeg, so we wanted to get some get-back, not even for first place, we just knew we had to get them back for whooping us,” Joiner said. “And we had a great game plan and we came in and executed.” “We want to win the West, we want home court advantage,” said Vancouver coach Rans Brempong. “We knew how important this game was – and I’m proud of the team for showing up and doing what they did tonight.” What they did was lead for all but 3:19 of the game behind Joiner’s 34 points. He added eight rebounds and seven assists, and the team was +23 when he was on the court. “He’s a joy to coach. You see the way he plays and you can rely on a guy like that because he’s playing off effort every night. You know he is going to give 110 percent,” Brempong said. “He’s a lot of fun, he’s infectious (and) he’s a leader, the head of the snake.” “We want to have a defensive mindset and that’s what he brings every night.” Second-chance points and points in the paint were nearly identical, separated by just one and two points, respectively. “Winnipeg is a great team … and to come out with everything swirling around and to hit our assignments and to play like that, I’m so proud of the team,” Brempong said. After a tight opening quarter which saw Vancouver lead by one, the Bandits stretched the lead to 11 at the half, and the deficit proved too much to overcome. “Vancouver played super hard. I thought they were the aggressor and they were physical from the start, and established the way the game was going to be played, and ultimately helped them be successful,” said Sea Bears coach Mike Raimbault. “The first half put us in a challenging situation (which was) created largely by not responding to the effort and physicality that Vancouver was playing with from the start. “I thought in the second half we were a little more succinct and connected, and we closed the gap a little bit. But before that, it felt like we gave a few too many things for free.” Alongside Joiner’s scoring, Tevin Brown had 21 points, Lloyd Pandi finished with 11 points and six rebounds, and Dominic Parolin had 10 points and eight rebounds. Trevon Scott and Teddy Allen led the Sea Bears with 28 and 27 points, respectively. The Bandits are back in action on Friday (July 3) as they host the Edmonton Stingers on Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre with a 7:00pm start time. It is one of two home games over the weekend as they also welcome the Calgary Surge on July 5 with a 12:30pm tip-off.