Basketball BC and Fraser Valley Bandits Form Official Team Partnership

LANGLEY/ ABBOTSFORD, April 16, 2019 – Basketball BC and the Fraser Valley Bandits announced Tuesday a collaboration that establishes the Fraser Valley Bandits as the Official First Division Professional Team Partner of Basketball BC.

Together, the two organizations will dedicate shared resources towards further developing players, coaches, game officials and community leaders within the game of basketball and beyond. Mutual benefits will take the form of community engagement, strategic and marketing opportunities. The partnership aligns with the landmark precedent set by Canada Basketball’s partnership with the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), announced last December.

“Basketball BC is thrilled to partner with the Fraser Valley Bandits of the CEBL. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow the game of basketball in our province by working in conjunction with BC’s new professional basketball team to inspire youth to pursue the educational and athletic opportunities afforded by basketball,” said Lawrie Johns, Executive Director of Basketball BC.

“The Bandits and the CEBL present an exciting chance to celebrate some of our province’s finest athletes, while also creating opportunities for numerous post-secondary athletes that wish to continue their basketball careers. Basketball BC looks forward to a close and a growing relationship with the Fraser Valley Bandits as we have no doubt of the ongoing success of the league.”

“This partnership represents a lot of enjoyable work between two organizations and we look forward to its continued growth and development,” added Basketball BC President Stu Graham.

British Columbia has become a preeminent destination and developmental hub for current and emerging amateur and post-secondary basketball talent. 7 of the Bandits’ 13 draft selections in the inaugural CEBL Entry Draft are from British Columbia, including the likes of current and former national team players such as Joel Friesen, Conor Morgan and Levon Kendall. Canada Basketball and Basketball BC collaborated to host the 15U/17U Boys National Championship in August 2018 in Kamloops, and will do so again this summer as the two organizations merge forces to host the 15U/17U Girls National Championship in Victoria this upcoming August.

“The Fraser Valley Bandits are honoured to partner with an organization like Basketball BC that has a proven track record of developing not only players, but referees, officials, and other sports leaders that have made significant contributions to the growth of basketball in British Columbia, across Canada and abroad as well,” said Bandits President Lee Genier.

“I would like to thank Lawrie Johns and his staff for their support of the Bandits and their commitment to championing British Columbia’s decorated lineage of basketball stars, many of which will be part of the Bandits this summer for our inaugural season at Abbotsford Centre. This is a pivotal agreement that will allow us to promote a domestic pathway for professional development that begins at the grassroots level with the high-level basketball programming that is offered by Basketball BC.”

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 https://www.basketball.bc.ca/home

For media inquiries, please contact:

Basketball BC
Lawrie Johns, Executive Director, (778) 621-2004, ljohns@basketball.bc.ca

Fraser Valley Bandits
Andrew Savory, Marketing and Communications Manager, (604) 217-6213, asavory@thebandits.ca