They may already have their ticket punched for 2023 Championship Weekend, but don’t expect the Vancouver Bandits to rest on that fact when the Canadian Elite Basketball League season kicks off next week.
The Bandits are guaranteed to be one of the teams competing for their sport’s ultimate prize by virtue of the fact they are the host team for the four-team event Friday, August 11 and Sunday, August 13 at Langley Events Centre. But the team plans to let their play show that they belong that weekend.
“We don’t want to talk about (having our spot booked). For us in that locker room, it is all about earning. Earn every win, every possession; the only thing that matters is the next game. We want to be there ranked No. 1,” explained Bandits General Manager and Head Coach Kyle Julius.
“With pressure comes responsibility (but) we want to earn it.”
He was speaking to media on Friday morning at Langley Events Centre, the first day of training camp for Vancouver. The team begins the CEBL season on May 27 in Winnipeg against the expansion Sea Bears and plays their LEC home opener on June 3 against the newly relocated Calgary Surge.
Julius returns to the sideline for the first time since 2020 when he led the Bandits to an appearance in the championship final. He spent the next two seasons focusing on the general manager’s role and will now serve double duty.
The team returns three players from the 2022 squad in Alex Campbell, Malcolm Duvivier and Shane Gibson with Campbell the franchise’s all-time leading scorer while no one has played more games for the Bandits than Duvivier.
The trio were integral to the Bandits attack, especially from long distance, as they combined for 130 3-pointers on 316 attempts (41.1 per cent) with both Duvivier and Gibson each finishing top-5 in the league in terms of 3-point percentage.
Gibson (18.7 points per game) led the Bandits in scoring and together, the three combined for nearly 40 points. As a team, Vancouver averaged 85.9 points per game.
The rest of the roster will feature several new faces, including some significant height up front with five players standing between 6’9 and 6’11.
“I would say it is more coincidence than targeted,” Julius said about a roster which averages 6’5 when asked if size was something they were seeking in assembling the 2023 roster. “I have always liked to play small, but to be perfectly honest, these tall players that we chose are very talented and will fit our style.”
As for what to expect on the court, if Friday’s opening practice is any indication, fans can expect to see a team that plays fast and likes to run up and down the floor.

“We want to play fast. I know everyone says that, but I can honestly tell you, we train fast, we practice fast,” Julius said. “Tempo, toughness, resilience, ball movement, those are all aspects of our style.”
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