BASKETBALL BC ANNOUNCES FRASER VALLEY BANDITS AS NAMING RIGHTS PARTNER OF BANDITS YOUTH BASKETBALL LEAGUE, CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS AND 3X3 BASKETBALL PROJECTS
Bandits Staff • October 8, 2020
ABBOTSFORD/LANGLEY, BC, October 8, 2020
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“We are excited to grow our partnership with the Bandits. Ultimately, this collaboration is built on the foundation of creating more pathways for British Columbia’s youth basketball players to play,” said Lawrie Johns, executive director of Basketball BC.
“By aligning forces on the BYBL, Club Championships and future 3x3 projects, we will work toward opening doors for more youth to access the game, to develop their skills and to be exposed to current and past coaches and players from BC that have led successful amateur and professional careers.”
“We are pleased at Basketball BC to be expanding our partnership with the Fraser Valley Bandits and the CEBL with a special focus on one of our paramount principles of the further development of youth basketball in British Columbia. The growth of basketball in BC is truly enhanced with these combined efforts on the BYBL, the Club Championships and the upcoming 3x3 projects,” added Stu Graham, president of Basketball BC.
With two seasonal editions of the BYBL, the league has typically featured a combined 500 boys and girls playing organized and competitive basketball on weekends in the fall and spring.
“Over the past two years, Basketball BC has helped connect our team with important leaders in the community and we look forward to supporting their programs and working to add to the track record of success that they have seen with their programs,” said Bandits vice president Dylan Kular. “We are excited to further align our organizations and to position the BYBL, the Basketball BC Club Championships and future 3x3 events as staples in the fabric of Canada’s flourishing basketball community.”
Basketball BC’s 2021 provincial Club Championships will be presented by the Fraser Valley Bandits. An annual fixture, the championships cover a variety of age groups. Under-13 boys and girls championships are typically hosted in the spring, while under-15 and under-17 championships are hosted in the summer. Historically, the club championships have hosted 40-50 teams from across the province as part of a platform for showcasing some of British Columbia’s top youth basketball players.
Further bolstering the grassroots alignment is a joint dedication toward promoting the sport of 3x3 basketball by assisting with awareness and participation efforts, such as Basketball BC’s Summer Slam 3x3 tournament, which was set to take place in Kelowna this past summer and was going to host competing boys and girls teams with divisions from under-12 to under-18, but was cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
Future 3x3 basketball tournaments hosted by Basketball BC will be presented by Bandits, who will assist with operational and promotional efforts to spur attendance, participation and the overall exposure of 3x3 basketball events. Currently, there are 182 countries and regions that participate in 3x3 competitions across the globe, resulting in more than 430,000 players playing the sport and the rise of 3x3 basketball as the “number one urban team sport in the world,” according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
Basketball BC and the Fraser Valley Bandits jointly recognize the various benefits of 3x3 basketball with regards to skill development, an alternate avenue for amateur and professional level competition, and as an exciting festival fixture in communities when produced in a tournament format. With 3x3 basketball a recently incorporated Olympic sport and given Canada’s ascension on the global basketball stage, both Basketball BC and the Fraser Valley Bandits hope to establish BC as a developmental hub for 3x3 and 5x5 players.
As part of the naming rights partnership, and in advance of collaborating on future 3x3 events, the Bandits and Basketball BC will be releasing a “3x3 Basketball Guidebook,” which will be a free and downloadable document available for use by the public.
The guidebook will serve as a preliminary source of information that can be used by players, coaches and parents looking to learn more about the merits of 3x3 basketball, how the sport translates to 5x5 play, online resources featuring 3x3 drills and lessons, as well as testimonials from notable Canadian coaches and players.
Basketball BC and the Bandits initialized the framework for their partnership in April 2019 when the Bandits announced that the club had been recognized as the Official First Division Professional League Partner of Basketball BC. Since the inception of the partnership, Basketball BC and the Bandits have shared mutual resources toward developing players, coaches, game officials, basketball operations staff, volunteers and promoting events, programs and other key activations.
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 80 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players come from the NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. More information is available at www.cebl.ca.
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For Fraser Valley Bandits media inquiries, please contact:
Andrew Savory, Director of Operations, (604) 217-6213, asavory@thebandits.ca
For Basketball BC media inquiries, please contact:
Connor Ranspot, Manager of Youth Programs & Special Events, (778) 621-2004, cranspot@basketball.bc.ca
About the Fraser Valley Bandits
The Fraser Valley Bandits are British Columbia’s professional basketball team. As the westernmost club in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the club is proud to call Abbotsford Centre home. The Bandits offer a riveting entertainment experience that combines a fast-paced game day atmosphere with a presentation of some of Canada’s top professional athletes within a world-class venue. PerfectLens, a Vancouver-based contact lens supplier, is the official presenting partner of the Bandits’ 2021 season. Head to thebandits.ca for more information.
About Basketball BC
Basketball BC is the Provincial Sporting Organization for the Sport of Basketball in British Columbia. Basketball BC, a not-for-profit, creates, guides and supports programs that build and protect the integrity of the game of basketball for all participants based on the Canadian Sport for Life Pathway (CS4L) . Basketball BC is committed to growing the game by involving players at all stages of development, coaches at the community and institutional level, assisting in the development of officials and sustaining partnerships to assist in the provision of opportunities and developing an infrastructure that supports the game of basketball. Basketball BC is recognized by the Province of British Columbia as the governing body for the sport of amateur basketball in British Columbia, working in tandem with the National Sporting Organization, Canada Basketball. For more information, visit www.basketball.bc.ca
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