Duane Notice Gives Vancouver Bandits a Stunning 90-89 Win Over Ottawa BlackJacks

Josh Kozelj • July 28, 2023

OTTAWA, ON, July 27, 2023 – A game-winning three-pointer by Duane Notice gave the Vancouver Bandits (7-12) a 90-89 upset victory over the Ottawa BlackJacks (12-8) on Thursday night at TD Place. 


Vancouver scored 58 points in the paint tonight—compared to 28 paint points by Ottawa—but it was the three-point ball that clinched the stunning victory. 


“Duane hit a huge shot,” Nick Ward said after the game. “I can’t forget about my brother Duane Notice. It was a huge win.” 


In a game that featured over 20 lead changes, the Bandits found themselves trailing by four points late in Target Score time. The BlackJacks were one point away from snapping a two-game losing streak, however, after Doug Herring Jr. cut the lead to two, the New York product got to the free throw line on Vancouver’s next offensive possession. 


With the score at 89-87 and a chance to complete a three-point play, Herring Jr. missed the free throw but collected his own rebound and found Notice at the top of the three-point line. Notice then knocked down the shot to stun the BlackJacks.


“Honestly, I was prepared for it,” Notice said. “It sounds crazy, but we do a drill in practice where we work on getting offensive rebounds from free throws. In that situation, coach Kyle Julius mentioned it and I was just being ready.” 


Deng Adel led the charge offensively for Ottawa on the night. Adel scored a season-high 28 points (eight of which came in Target Score time) on 50 per cent shooting from the field and hauled in seven rebounds. 


“I was just being aggressive, making the right reads and I’m just trying to make the right play at all times,” Adel said. “It wasn’t enough, but we just gotta stay together and stay aggressive.” 


Matt Coleman III chipped in with 17 points and three three-pointers off the bench and Thomas Scrubb had 18 points and four long balls. 


While the BlackJacks welcomed Zena Edosomwan back to the lineup after a one-month absence tonight, Ottawa was without forward Jackson Rowe, who was averaging 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in 18 games this season. Edosomwan finished with five points and grabbed nine rebounds in his return to the BlackJacks’ starting lineup. 


“It wasn’t a great game by us, but we competed, we fought. There were a lot of bodies flying around, they’re a big, physical team,” Ottawa head coach James Derouin said. “I thought our guys fought right until the end.”

 

In the first quarter, Ottawa used a 13-0 run to take a 10-point lead after one. Adel scored eight points in that run, and collected 10 points in the first quarter. 


Ward finished with a team-high 25 points. His frontcourt mate Giorgi Bezhanishvili secured a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, as Vancouver’s big men combined to give Ottawa fits all night. 


Vancouver, who is leading the league in rebounds per game, had a 44-40 edge on the glass and hauled in 14 offensive boards as a team. 

“I love this group. I’ve said they practice like they’re in first place all year. They’re great fighters,” Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said. “That was a good effort by us tonight for sure.” 


The BlackJacks started the third quarter with two quick threes, but both teams traded blows in the frame. Vancouver used a 7-2 run—capped off with an Alex Campbell three-pointer—to snag a five-point lead heading into the fourth. 


Vancouver carried that momentum into Target Score time, but Ottawa stayed within striking distance to level the game at 85 (with a target score of 90 points). Scrubb managed to give Ottawa the lead with a layup in transition, and Adel brought them to within a point of victory, but the Bandits squeaked out the win with five straight points on their final possession of the night. 


With the victory, Vancouver earned its third road victory of the year and got some momentum heading into Championship Weekend at Langley Events Centre August 9-13. The Bandits will close out the regular season this Sunday on the road in Scarborough. 


The Bandits will be back at Langley Events Centre on Friday, August 11, having qualified for Championship Weekend as the host team. Vancouver will be facing a familiar rival in the Western Conference Final, to see which team advances to the Championship game that will be played on Sunday, August 13.



Single game playoff tickets for Championship Weekend are available for purchase at this link.


Individuals interested in learning more about playoff tickets for Vancouver Bandits Basketball are kindly asked to call (604) 455-8881 or email tickets@thebandits.ca. 


More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.

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Tyrese Samuel Repeats as Canadian Player of the Year at 2026 CEBL Awards

By Bandits Staff • August 20, 2026
Today, the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced the winners of the 2026 CEBL Awards and the All-CEBL Teams via the league's digital and social media channels. Bandits forward Tyrese Samuel captured Canadian Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. He was also named to the All-CEBL First Team and earned his second straight CEBL All-Canadian Team selection. Additionally, longtime international basketball official and Lower Mainland resident Mike Thomson was named a recipient of the Fox 40 Officiating Recognition Award in recognition of continued contributions to the CEBL officiating program. The full list of award winners is as follows: 2026 CEBL Award Winners Most Valuable Player: Myles Powell (Scarborough Shooting Stars) Canadian Player of the Year: Tyrese Samuel (Vancouver Bandits) Coach of the Year: Tyrell Vernon (Scarborough Shooting Stars) Sixth Man of the Year: Frank Mitchell (Scarborough Shooting Stars) CDIC Defensive Player of the Year: Kellen Tynes (Scarborough Shooting Stars) Developmental Player of the Year: Easton Thimm (Saskatchewan Mamba) Clutch Player of the Year: Myles Powell (Scarborough Shooting Stars) Fox 40 Officiating Recognition Award: Mike Thomson All-CEBL First Team: Myles Powell (Scarborough Shooting Stars), Teddy Allen (Winnipeg Sea Bears), Javonte Smart (Ottawa BlackJacks), Sean East II (Brampton Honey Badgers), Tyrese Samuel (Vancouver Bandits) All-CEBL Second Team: Tavian Dunn-Martin (Saskatoon Mamba), Khalil Ahmad (Niagara River Lions), Frank Mitchell (Scarborough Shooting Stars), Nick Hornsby (Edmonton Stingers), Matthew Cleveland (Ottawa BlackJacks) CEBL All-Canadian Team: Tyrese Samuel (Vancouver Bandits), Frank Mitchell (Scarborough Shooting Stars), Quincy Guerrier (Montréal Alliance), Sean Miller-Moore (Calgary Surge), Jaden Bediako (Saskatoon Mamba) Samuel returns as the reigning Canadian Player of the Year, repeating as this year's winner after finishing third in the CEBL in rebounding at 8.7 per game. The Montreal, Que., native led Vancouver in rebounds (8.7), blocked shots (1.1) and field goal percentage (53.5 per cent), while finishing second on the team in scoring at 17.1 points per game. Samuel’s standout performances and accolades across his two seasons with the Bandits helped accelerate his career progression. Following the 2025 CEBL season, he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns joining the team on its training camp roster.  He is now preparing for his first overseas opportunity, signing with French club Cosea JL Bourg for the 2026-27 season who compete in the prestigious EuroCup league and the Ligue Nationale de Basket. A resident of New Westminster, Mike Thomson was honoured with the Fox 40 Officiating Recognition Award for his continued contributions to the CEBL officiating program. A FIBA-licensed Referee Instructor with nearly 50 years of basketball officiating involvement, Thomson’s resume includes officiating the 2000 Summer Olympic Games and serving as a Referee Instructor at the 2024 Summer Olympics and both the 2019 and 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cups. A longtime contributor to the CEBL, he served as both a Referee Coach and member of the Referee Advisory Committee this past season, drawing on his extensive experience in Canadian and international basketball to provide steady guidance and leadership throughout the season. Award winners and All-CEBL First, Second, and All-Canadian Teams are determined by votes cast by the CEBL's team head coaches, general managers, assistant coaches, select league broadcasters, and internal media personnel, based on regular season performance. Team representatives are prohibited from voting for a player or head coach from their own team. All CEBL award winners will receive a customized ring from Jostens, the Official Supplier of Award Rings of the CEBL, as well as a special gift from Foot Locker, the official sportswear retailer of the CEBL and its 10 teams. Details on tickets for the 2027 season can be found via CEBL.ca/tickets .

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By Bandits Staff • August 11, 2026
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Bandits season comes to an end in Western Conference Final defeat

By Gary Ahuja • August 9, 2026
The Vancouver Bandits’ championship aspirations ended in the Western Final.  The visiting Winnipeg Sea Bears never trailed after the first quarter, defeating the Bandits 107-96 on Saturday afternoon on Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre in the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Western Conference Final. Winnipeg advances to face the Brampton Honey Badgers in the best-of-three CEBL Finals. “We had a couple of defensive assignment game plan pieces that I thought we just did not ever execute,” said Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius. “They jumped on us right from the start and had more energy.” Vancouver had won the season series 3-1, including a crucial 114-90 victory less than a week ago that clinched home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. “This group (today) is way better than the Winnipeg we played the other day because of him,” Julius said of Sea Bears guard Trey McGowens, who finished with 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists. “I thought he was the X factor — the way he plays, the toughness he has, the athleticism,” Julius added. “He gave them a lot of life. The way he played, created a lot of opportunities.” Winnipeg’s Simon Hildebrandt also proved too much for the Bandits, finishing with 24 points to tie Xavier Moon for the team lead. “You have to give him a lot of credit … he absolutely killed us. He dominated his matchup all night,” Julius said. Shamar Givance led the Bandits with 21 points and 11 assists, while Mitch Creek and Tevin Brown finished with 19 points apiece.

Bandits Advance to CEBL Final after Dramatic Win over Edmonton

By Gary Ahuja • August 7, 2026
At this stage of the season, style points don’t matter. “Just win the day. I said after the game, it wasn’t pretty, but this time of year, it’s survive and advance,” said Vancouver Bandits General Manager Kyle Julius, who returned to coaching duties on Thursday night. Julius had stepped away from coaching duties earlier in the season after accepting a coaching position in China but retained his role as the Bandits’ general manager. With Vancouver entering the Canadian Elite Basketball League playoffs, Julius returned to the sidelines Thursday night after consulting with interim head coach Rans Brempong, who had previously served as his lead assistant. The result was a 92-83 victory over the visiting Edmonton Stingers in the Western Conference semi-final on Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. Edmonton raced out to a 9-0 lead before Vancouver settled into its game and took a 52-42 lead into halftime. The Stingers responded with a strong third quarter, outscoring the Bandits 25-13, and led by five points in the fourth quarter before Vancouver battled back with an 11-1 run heading into Target Score Time. The game ended on a Mychal Mulder three-pointer from the corner. “I was spaced properly … and Shamar (Givance) made the right read and kicked it out to me, and I was able to knock it down,” Mulder said. “Our entire fourth quarter is a testament to how we fight and how you pull a win out.” Mulder scored 15 points off the bench and was one of five Vancouver players in double figures, with Givance leading the way with 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Mitch Creek (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Tyrese Samuel (13 points, 10 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles, while Tevin Brown added 19 points and connected on five three-pointers. Nick Hornsby led the Stingers with 22 points, but he was the only Edmonton player to score more than 11. A big factor in the late-game turnaround was the sold-out crowd cheering on the home side. “The crowd really got into it in the fourth quarter and they really boosted us,” Julius said. “I cannot say enough about our fans, they have been tremendous.” It was a sentiment echoed by Mulder. “They are incredible. They pack it out every game. (Coach) was saying in the locker room, it’s like all of a sudden, it turns into six-on-five,” Mulder said. “They are great for our energy and that’s what we fought for, to have home-court advantage.” Vancouver will look to capitalize on that home-court advantage once again when the Bandits host the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Saturday (August 8) at 12:30 p.m. at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre in the Western Conference Final, with a spot in the CEBL Championship Finals on the line.

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