Bandits host Alliance in Season’s First Cross-Conference Clash

Zulfi Sheikh • May 23, 2024

Cross-conference bragging rights will be on the line Thursday night when the Montréal Alliance take on the Vancouver Bandits in the first East vs. West showdown of the CEBL season.

Action tips off from Langley Events Centre at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. local with live coverage available on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN+ and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. It will also be televised nationally on Game+ outside North America and available on NLSE in the United States.

As teams in opposite conferences and opposite ends of Canada, there’s little history between the two franchises. They’ve matched up just three times prior to Thursday, and it was the Alliance that came out victorious in their lone contest last season, winning by a narrow five-point margin. That one game may not hold much stock however as both teams enter 2024 with revamped rosters and a lot to prove.

Montréal, for instance, is this season’s host city for Championship Weekend and although that means an automatic spot in the Eastern Conference Finals, it also brings a weight of expectations. Entering the postseason one game shy of a title shot is an exciting prospect for the Alliance considering they’ve never even qualified for a postseason berth before this season. Yet opponents out East may not mind Montréal standing in their way if the team can’t improve from their league-worst 7-13 record from a season ago.

Last year the Alliance were rolling out a bottom-two offence (82 points per game) and bottom-three defence (87.6 points against) on a nightly basis. So, if they don’t want to be viewed as easy pickings by the rest of the East, they’ll have to show they’ve gotten better. And to their credit, Montréal has made moves in the offseason to try and do just that.

Starting by adding a pair of import forwards, Jordan Bowen and Chris Smith, to inject some scoring. Bowen was a standout at Tennessee scoring over 1,300 points for the Volunteers throughout his collegiate career and brings four years of NBA G League experience. Meanwhile, Smith brings three years of his own G League experience after a successful NCAA career with UCLA that likely would’ve gotten him drafted into the NBA had his final season not been cut short by injury.

Both Americans will likely slot into the starting lineup and take some of the scoring load off Ahmed Hill, the team’s leading scorer in 2023 (20.4 points per game). The All-CEBL second team member carried most of the offensive burden on his shoulders for the Alliance, and that made things much easier for opponents to scout and defend. Although Hill was third in the league for scoring last season, he’ll surely sacrifice some of his points this year if it means the team can threaten defences with a more balanced attack.

Returning to the backcourt with Hill will likely be Alain Louis. The 2022 second overall pick in the CEBL U SPORTS draft filled in admirably as a starter the 11 times his number was called upon last season. Louis averaged 9.3 points and averaged 5.5 assists, fourth most in the CEBL in 2023.

That final starting spot is where intrigue lies for Montréal as there are a few options to consider. They could stick with hometown product Elijah Ifejeh who’s returning for a third season with the Alliance and can add size with his 6-foot-8 frame. Montréal was second last in rebounding last year (36.2 per game) so Ifejeh alongside 6-foot-9 Smith could be a way of improving their fortunes on the glass.

Or they could slot in skilled 3-and-D specialist Maxime Boursiquot. Also a Montréal native entering his third year in the CEBL, Boursiquot was vital for the Ottawa BlackJacks’ last season. His 5.8 points per game and 3.8 rebounds may not stand out but they don’t paint a full picture. Boursiquot shot over 53 per cent from the field, 47 per cent from three and played in all 20 of Ottawa’s regular season games. His hyper-efficiency on offence was often matched by the fact he would typically guard the opposing team’s best perimeter player. If the Alliance want to prioritize fixing their defence, having a two-way achor like Boursiquot is a good place to start.

Another intriguing player to keep an eye on is Jahenns Manigat. The Montréal native is returning home after spending his first two CEBL seasons with game one opponent, Vancouver. Manigat made 23 appearances for the Bandits over that span, 15 of which came last year. It’ll be interesting to see how much the Alliance rely upon the 32-year-old as they matchup against his former squad.

On the other side, the Bandits didn’t fare much better in 2023. If there’s a team that understands Montréal’s excitement as hosts and the challenges that title presents, it’s Vancouver. As last year’s host city, the Bandits entered the postseason with an 8-12 record following a regular season marred by complacency.

The team was definitely talented -- as evidenced by the two-game win streak Vancouver took into the playoffs and then nearly upsetting the Surge in the Conference Finals -- but couldn’t get away from their bad habits. Vancouver led the league in turnovers last season, the only team to give the ball away over 16 times a game on average. All those freebies also meant they gave up plenty of easy points, hence why they were the second weakest defence (89 points against per game).

Fans watching the Bandits this year ought to hope that without the pressures of being host city, the team can bounce back, work their way to the postseason and avoid missing the playoffs for just the second time since in franchise history.

And to their credit, Vancouver had put in the work to improve their roster heading into 2024. Starting with the addition of Koby McEwen, a former Brampton Honey Badger, who’ll bring that surehandedness the Bandits lacked all of last season. The 2022 champion was a workhorse for the Honey Badgers last year averaging 13.7 points (second on Brampton), 5.4 assists (fifth in CEBL) while leading the league in free throw percentage (82 per cent). Adding a guard with that kind of pedigree and CEBL experience of McEwen immediately upgrades the Bandits’ backcourt from where it was a season ago.

What also makes adding the former Sixth Man of the Year so enticing for Vancouver is the pairing it creates with Nick Ward. The 2021 All-CEBL first team member played his first season with the Bandits last year and once again asserted himself as one of the league’s top big men. Ward averaged 18.7 points per game (seventh in the CEBL), 7.8 rebounds (eighth) and led the league with 62.2 per cent shooting from the field through 19 appearances in 2023.

The Bandits’ team MVP was instrumental in the little success they had last year as Ward spearheaded the league’s second-best rebounding team (42.1 rebounds per game). He’ll surely be leaned on once again to dominate the glass for Vancouver but at least Ward will have the luxury of a dynamic pick-and-roll partner in McEwen to work with to create more scoring.

Speaking of offence, the Bandits made sure to add plenty of it throughout the offseason. Beginning with a duo of American guards Zach Copeland and Tazé Moore. Copeland is coming off a stellar season with Bamberg Baskets of the German Basketball Bundesliga where he averaged 17.7 points on 37.8 per cent three-point shooting. His prolific outside shooting is sure to help a Vancouver squad that ranked third-worst from beyond the arc in 2023 (31.6 per cent). Meanwhile, Moore brings NBA and NBA G League experience in his first CEBL season. In 22 games with the Rip City Remix (Portland’s G League affiliate), the import averaged 15.6 points, 7.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds.

It won’t just be new additions fans should be excited to see come Thursday night, there will also be a long-anticipated reunion. James Karnik returns to the lineup after a stellar debut CEBL season in 2022 and then missing all of 2023 due to injury. The B.C. product was second on the Bandits for scoring and rebounding in his lone season in the league averaging 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds.

“Making my professional debut with my hometown team in front of family and friends was pretty special in 2022,” said Karnik in anticipation of his return this year. “Now, as I make my comeback from an injury that negated my 2023 season, I can’t wait to show off the work that I put in the offseason to come back better and stronger, as well as reaching my high expectations for the team and my personal goals.”

“I know it will be an electric atmosphere at (Langley Events Centre) and I am excited to play in front of the amazing fans.”

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Vancouver Bandits Race Past Rattlers to Earn Fifth Straight Victory

By Bandits Staff • 16 Jun, 2024

Make it five straight for the streaking Vancouver Bandits. With the score knotted at 76 entering the fourth quarter, the Bandits were dominant down the stretch, outscoring the Saskatchewan Rattlers 22-9 over the final period and Target Score Time for an impressive 98-85 win on Saturday night at Langley Events Centre (LEC). The victory not only improved the Bandits to a Canadian Elite Basketball League-best 7-1, but it also avenged the team’s only blemish, a 98-86 setback to those same Rattlers in the season’s third game. “That was our main focus, knowing that they had given us our only loss. They were our target and we wanted to set a statement for the rest of the league,” said Vancouver’s Duane Notice. “We were definitely motivated to get this win, especially in front of our home fans; they have been a tremendous boost of energy.” Notice, the team’s captain, normally comes off the bench, but was pushed into the starting line-up for Saturday’s game. And while his stat line didn’t pop – five points, nine rebounds and three assists in 30:10 of floor time – it is his contribution in other areas that make him stand out. “He is our true glue guy. He leads our group by his action,” said Vancouver head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “He is our captain; sacrifices his body, he guards every position. Gets his fingernails on loose balls that get into our hands.” Vancouver led for all but 3:03 of the game, and that came in the early stages of the opening quarter. The Bandits built a 26-21 lead after 10 minutes and stretched the advantage to as many as 13 before taking a 58-50 lead to the locker room. A big reason for that was the fact the Bandits hit 55.6 percent of their 3-point attempts (10-for-18) in the first 20 minutes, compared to 4-for-17 (23.5 percent) in the second half. With the deep ball not dropping, it allowed the Rattlers to rally and tie the score at 76 entering the final period. “They hit some shots, we didn’t. It was our 2’s against their 3’s,” said Saskatchewan coach Larry Abney, referencing the fact his team was just 6-for-25 (24 percent) from downtown, compared to 28-for-43 (65.1 percent) from inside the arc for the game. “We got some hands up, but they made some shots. Hats off to them, (Vancouver) played a great game.” The Bandits were able to hold the CEBL’s leading scorer Jalen Harris (who came in averaging 27.7 per game) to 24 points, including just nine in the first half. Tazé Moore led the team with 25 points, seven rebounds and nine assists while Nick Ward had 21 points and seven boards. Koby McEwen and Zach Copeland each chipped in with 16 and Diego Maffia came off the bench to score 11, all of which came in the middle two quarters. “He really sparked us and got the crowd going,” Julius said, marveling at the difficulty of playing 13:19. That’s compared to a total of 14:00 of floor time over the past five games combined. On the other side, Saskatchewan trio of Elijah Harkless (25 points), Harris (24) and Bryson Williams (23) all surpassed the 20-point plateau, but Vancouver limited the Rattlers bench to just nine points. Notice said a team’s defensive identity is key to success and through the first eight games, they are allowing just 82.6 points per game, second lowest among the 10 teams. “That (defence) is the focus every game. We know we have talented offensive guys … (but) shots aren’t always going to fall; you will make some, miss some, but we want to bring that defensive intensity every single possession. We want that to be our identity and I think we are doing that right now,” he said. The Bandits are off to Winnipeg for a quick mid-week road trip to battle the Sea Bears on June 19. Following that, Vancouver is back at home on June 22 with a visit from the Ottawa BlackJacks to Langley Events Centre as part of the club’s Indigenous Celebration Game. Tickets for the highly anticipated and fast-selling game are on sale now at this link . Individuals interested in ticket flexibility or purchasing a bundle of Bandits tickets are invited to consider a flex pack . More information can be found at thebandits.ca/tickets or by speaking with a Bandits representative by calling (604) 455-8881 or emailing tickets@thebandits.ca . A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here . More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok , as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter .

Full Game Highlights | Bandits vs. Rattlers (06/15/2024)

By Bandits Staff • 16 Jun, 2024

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Bandits look to avenge lone loss in rematch with Rattlers

By Zulfi Sheikh • 15 Jun, 2024

The Vancouver Bandits (6-1) welcome the Saskatchewan Rattlers (5-2) to Langley Events Centre on Saturday night for the second of three regular season matchups this season. Live coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. PT / 8:30 p.m. CST / 10:30 p.m. ET and fans can catch all the action on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN+ and on the CEBL mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. Vancouver may lead the Western Conference with a near-perfect record, but they’ll still have plenty to gain this weekend, as their lone blemish to this point was a 98-86 loss against Saskatchewan two weeks ago. There was a caveat regarding the outcome however, as Vancouver was without it’s do-it-all guard Tazé Moore. The team’s leading scorer was a late scratch due to illness and his absence was greatly felt. Without Moore’s 20.2 points per game (fourth-most in the CEBL) and steadying presence, the Bandits’ offence appeared to be in disarray. They turned the ball over 18 times, shot 34 per cent from the field and 27 per cent from downtown, looking nothing like the team that typically scores 92 points per game (tied for second most in the league). And if that doesn’t make the 25-year-old’s impact clear enough, how about the fact that Vancouver is still undefeated with him in the lineup? In their latest victory, a 112-91 win over the Winnipeg Sea Bears, Moore put up a monster triple-double of 35 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. He’s one of just two CEBL players this season to record a triple double. Moore’s play spearheaded a season-best offensive performance for the Bandits, as they dominated the Sea Bears in practically all point-producing statistical categories. They shot better from the field (+10%), grabbed more rebounds (+7) and dished more assists (+11). The glaring absence of Moore doesn’t fully discredit Saskatchewan’s victory over Vancouver, however. It might’ve been a single-digit win in the end, but the Rattlers never trailed in the contest as they outproduced the West’s No. 1 squad from the field (+8), the paint (+10) and three-point line (+3). Saskatchewan was led by a star guard of its own, with Jalen Harris putting up 27 to go with six rebounds and nine assists. He was backed up by a three-headed monster of Elijah Harkless, Maurice Calloo and Grant Basile who each chipped in 19 points. Since that victory – and a 3-0 start – the Rattlers went on a two-game losing streak before sweeping a home-and-home set against the Brampton Honey Badgers. Their latest victory, like the Bandits, was a season-best offensive performance. It was a 104-93 win for Saskatchewan as they shot 52 per cent from the field, made 14 threes on a 43 per cent clip and dominated the glass for 41 rebounds (+14). And again, similar to Vancouver, it was thanks to their leading scorer having a special game. Harris put up a historic 45 points against the Honey Badgers on Wednesday, setting a new CEBL single-game scoring record. The import scored 21 of those points in the third quarter alone as he finished the game shooting 62 per cent from the field and 66 per cent from beyond the arc. The record-setting performance leapfrogged him to the top of the CEBL’s scoring leaderboard, now averaging 27.7 points per game. Key matchup Harris vs. Moore will be the battle to keep an eye on. It’s going to be a heavyweight bout between the league’s No. 1 and No. 4 scorers, both of whom are coming off CEBL career-best performances. The pair also lead the league in minutes played per game, so fans can expect to see plenty of action between the matchup on Saturday night. We might have missed out on two of the league’s best duking it out in the first contest but round two has the potential to more than make up for that. A win for the Bandits extends their lead over the conference and casts doubt on the Rattlers original victory, while a Saskatchewan win brings them into a tie for first in the West and validates their previous performance.

Career Night for Tazé Moore Fuels Vancouver Over Winnipeg

By Gary Ahuja • 14 Jun, 2024

LANGLEY, B.C. , June 13, 2024 – In the off-chance fans were not familiar with the Vancouver Bandits and their red-hot start to the CEBL season, any remaining mystery surrounding the team has likely dissipated. Playing at Langley Events Centre on Thursday night in a nationally broadcasted game on TSN, the Bandits flexed their might, scoring 62 in the first half alone in a 112-91 victory over the Winnipeg Sea Bears. It improved Vancouver to 6-1 – and has them atop the Canadian Elite Basketball League standings – and in addition to improving to 4-0 on their home court, three of the Bandits’ victories have been by 20-plus points. For Winnipeg, this was a third-straight loss following a 3-1 start as their record slipped to 3-4. It was also the Bandits’ first-ever win against Winnipeg after the Sea Bears won all four meetings in 2023. But that was last year and this edition of the Bandits is something else. Tazé Moore capped off a remarkable night individually, as he sank a long-distance 3-pointer for the clinching points in Target Score Time. He finished with 35 points – a Bandits franchise record – to go along with 16 rebounds (15 of which came on the defensive end) and 11 assists for the first triple double in team history and just the fifth in league history. “That was special. I thought he did it without being selfish. He picked and chose his times. It was an impressive 35 points,” said Bandits coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “He just has great feel.” Even more impressive was the fact Moore missed the last few days of practice while he attended workouts with a few NBA clubs and just learned a few new wrinkles this morning the team added in his absence. While Moore posted the gaudy stats, he was far from alone in doing damage offensively. Koby McEwen scored 24, Nick Ward had 20, Zach Copeland chipped in with 11 and James Karnik added 10 as all five Bandits starters reached double figures. Vancouver shot nearly 57 per cent from the field, including an eye-popping 51.9 per cent from downtown, as they connected on 14 of 27 of three-point attempts. “I wouldn’t say it is a shock because I know we recruited great shooters,” Julius said when asked about connecting on such a high percentage. And when the outside game is nailing more than half their attempts, it makes for a tough night for teams to defend, especially with the inside game of Ward and Karnik. “You have to respect everybody. There’s not one person you can help off of. That’s a hard cover when you can’t help on anybody, everyone has to go one-on-one; everybody can score, everybody can rebound, everybody can do everything. That’s tough to defend,” Ward said when asked about the challenges of defending Vancouver. But while the final score was lopsided, the Sea Bears did have their moments, trailing 28-21 after one quarter and then trimming a 16-point halftime deficit down to four points in the third quarter at 65-61. Julius credited the insertion of Sam Maillet and Duane Notice onto the floor at that critical juncture as a turning point. “I thought they literally changed the game themselves; their energy and their defence; I thought we just took off from there,” the coach said. Following the substitutions, Vancouver re-established the double-digit lead, going ahead 84-71 after three quarters and then opening the fourth with a 12-0 run. “Give the Bandits credit; they hit shots and made some plays. Tazé was outstanding today, but it wasn’t just him, it was a team effort,” said Winnipeg coach Mike Taylor. Thursday’s game marked the Sea Bears debut of Justin Wright-Foreman and last year’s leading scorer in the CEBL (with Saskatchewan) saw him pick up where he left off with 29 points and six assists. Teddy Allen added 24, giving Winnipeg a deadly backcourt tandem. Offensively, the Sea Bears were right near their season average as they entered the contest averaging 92 points per game. It is defensively where they struggle, as they sit dead last in the CEBL, allowing 99 points per game. “We were just a step slow and then you combine it with some of the bone-headed turnovers, we just threw away the ball right to them,” Taylor said. The coach also stressed that more ball movement is key as his team finished with just 11 assists, compared to Vancouver’s 21. Up next for the Bandits is another home game on Saturday (June 15, 7:30 p.m. PT) at Langley Events Centre as Vancouver looks to avenge their lone loss of the season with a visit from the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Tickets for the highly anticipated and fast-selling game are on sale now at this link . Individuals interested in ticket flexibility or purchasing a bundle of Bandits tickets are invited to consider a flex pack . More information can be found at thebandits.ca/tickets or by speaking with a Bandits representative by calling (604) 455-8881 or emailing tickets@thebandits.ca . A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here . More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok , as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter .