Bandits Regain Top Spot in West after road win in Winnipeg

Tyrese Samuel’s ninth double-double of the season wasn't enough as the Vancouver Bandits fell 93-86 to the Calgary Surge on Tuesday night. Samuel poured in 20 points and 10 rebounds, but the Bandits’ shooting woes were the story of the game. “I expect it out of him, but expectations doesn't mean it will be easy. You still have to go out and do it,” said Bandits head coach Ransford Brempong about Samuel’s performance. The Bandits shot just 10-32 from beyond the arc while the Surge cashed in 14 of their 26 three point opportunities. Vancouver entered action with the second-best three point percentage in the league at 37.3%. Brempong mentioned tonight’s officiating, noting his team didn't have “control” over the game. “It’s frustrating when it’s not all in (the player’s) hands. There were some calls that were questionable,” said Brempong. The Bandits led by seven in the fourth quarter but watched their lead dwindle as the Surge went on a 21-7 run in the final seven minutes of the game. Vancouver led the game in bench points (34-25) and points in the paint (44-36), led by Jarkel Joiner’s 19 points. His 19.0 points per game this season lead the Bandits. Armani Chaney led the way for Calgary with 16 points and nine assists. Former Bandit Marlon Johnson Jr. put the final touches on the game when his three pointer was the game winner. Next, the Bandits will travel to Winnipeg for the second and final game of the road trip on Thursday. Brempong said his team is focused on finishing the season strong as they eye homecourt advantage in the playoffs. “We still control our destiny,” said Brempong. The Bandits (12-8) and the Sea Bears (13-7) are currently separated by one game for first place in the Western Conference. “We’re on a hunting expedition and we’ve got to find and hunt down the Sea Bears.”

Trailing by 22 points, it looked like it simply wasn't the Vancouver Bandits' night. To their credit, the Bandits chipped away at the deficit, cutting it to 10 heading into Target Score Time before eventually pulling even at 91 against the visiting Montreal Alliance. The Alliance then went to the free throw line with a chance to seal the victory. Instead, Jack Hemphill made the first but missed the second, leaving the door open. Vancouver's Jarrell Eddie grabbed the defensive rebound to ignite the fast break before Shamar Givance knocked down the game-winning jumper, sending the Country Night crowd at Langley Events Centre home celebrating an improbable 93-92 victory, the largest comeback in franchise history. With the victory, the Bandits have qualified for the CEBL playoffs for a seventh season in a row.  The win moves Vancouver into a tie for first place atop the Canadian Elite Basketball League's Western Conference at 12-7, while Montreal falls to 8-11 and remains fifth in the Eastern Conference, just outside the playoff picture. “Our mindset, our will to not lose,” said Bandits coach Rans Brempong about what changed with the team trailing 68-46 with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter. “That’s what I’ve told the team is the gift and the curse: we can be as good as we want to be. I'm proud of them. They showed what we could do, how we could play defense and how that translates to offense, but we got to be able to do that consistently. It takes discipline.” “One stop at a time, one possession at a time. You can't get it all back at one time. So just go out there, get a stop, hopefully get a bucket. Get a stop, get a bucket, get a stop, get a bucket,” said Vancouver’s Tyrese Samuel, who led the team with 24 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. “And I think we did that at a really high rate, especially going into the fourth. It showed the fight that we actually have and we need to continue going into every game, starting with the fight that we ended the game with.” Samuel was one of three Bandits to score in double figures, joined by Eddie with 18 points and James Karnik, who recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Both were making their Bandits debuts, although Karnik had previously played for the organization and only arrived the morning of the game. For Alliance coach Jermaine Smalls, the loss felt like déjà vu. “I’ve said to them and I’ve said to other people, we win the four quarters, but we don’t win the fifth quarter,” he said, alluding to Target Score Time. “But at the end of the day, I'm just proud of the effort we gave. And you know what? We missed the free throw to win the game, so it's part of the game.” Montreal had five players score in double figures, led by 17 points apiece from Jack Hemphill and Blondeau Tchoukuidgno. Kevin Osawe, Prince Oduro and Keeshawn Barthelemy each added 13. Next: The Bandits head out on a two-game road trip, visiting the Calgary Surge on July 21 before facing the Winnipeg Sea Bears on July 23 in a matchup between the teams tied for first place in the Western Conference. The team’s next home game at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre is on July 25 (6:00pm) against the Saskatoon Mamba. Click here for tickets.

The Vancouver Bandits announced Friday that the club has re-signed homegrown talent James Karnik for the remainder of the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. A 6-foot-9 forward from Surrey, B.C., Karnik is set to compete in his fourth CEBL campaign. He has appeared in 29 games for the club dating back to the 2022 season, averaging 10.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. During the 2025-26 season, Karnik suited up for three different teams: Neptunas Klaipeda in Lithuania, Basquet Girona in Spain, and IHC Apes in Mongolia, where he helped the latter to a domestic championship. His international career also featured previous playing stints in Switzerland and the Netherlands. Karnik represents the Czech Republic in international FIBA play by way of naturalized citizenship. His most recent call up to the national team was for the 2027 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers, which were held earlier this month. Prior to turning professional, Karnik played five years of NCAA DI basketball between Lehigh University (2017-20) and Boston College (2020-22), while he played high school basketball at Earl Marriott Secondary in Surrey and BC Christian Academy in Port Coquitlam before transferring to Orangeville Prep in Mono, Ont..