The Fraser Valley Bandits are welcoming back last year’s team MVP and defensive player of the year, Malcolm Duvivier, for his second season with the club.
The 26-year-old’s love for sports started at a very young age. He proved to be a versatile athlete, playing just about every sport. Football, basketball, soccer – Duvivier did it all.
After deciding on basketball, Duvivier immersed himself in his community. What started with him playing basketball on the monkey bars because he did not have a hoop turned into him playing with local recreational teams. Ultimately, it was his older cousins who exposed him to the sport and helped him develop his passion for the game.
Once he reached high school in Toronto, Ont., Duvivier realized that he could make a career out of his love for basketball. Although St. Michael’s College School was not particularly known for its basketball prowess, Duvivier and then teammate and current Hamilton Honey Badger, Duane Notice, started creating a new culture and gained national recognition as stars for St. Michael’s.
“It was cool to see different scouting services actually making highlight tapes of you and seeing yourself ranked,” Duvivier said. “It was cool to start seeing the hard work finally paying off.”
The recognition served as motivation for Duvivier to keep pushing to take his career to the next level. Upon high school graduation, he made his way to the United States to play at Oregon State University (2013-16) and later at the University of Akron (2017-18). The experience of playing at the NCAA Division I collegiate level enriched Duvivier’s perspective of the game and where it could take him. From interconference battles to leading the Oregon State Beavers to the 2016 NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1990, Duvivier relished the atmosphere of a packed arena and a platform to showcase his talents.
Duvivier has taken lessons learned at university and has put in the work to compete at the next level against fellow professional players on home soil in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). By combining his natural athleticism with his shot-making ability, he showed Bandits fans last season exactly what a force he can be when given a chance to shine.
In his first season as a Bandit, Duvivier helped take Fraser Valley to the CEBL finals. After a spirited comeback against Hamilton in the semifinals, a fatigued Bandits group ran into a determined Edmonton squad that defeated Fraser Valley 90-73 to claim the 2020 championship.
Now with a year as a Bandit under his belt, Duvivier hopes to take on a leadership role and help win a championship for Fraser Valley.
“Last year left a sour taste in my mouth losing in the finals. We have unfinished business going into this season,” Duvivier said.
Duvivier’s decision to re-sign with the Bandits stems from the support he has received from the organization.
“I chose Fraser Valley because I love it,” he said. “I love the atmosphere that the staff and front office bring every single day.”
Duvivier believes that general manager Kyle Julius set a great foundation for himself and for the team, adding that Julius and interim head coach Dave Singleton’s leave-it-all-on-the-court mindset feeds into his personality and work ethic.
Duvivier is excited to reside in the Fraser Valley this summer for the first time after making his debut with the Bandits in 2020 at the single-site Summer Series, which was hosted in St. Catharines, Ont. He hopes to have the opportunity to connect with fans locally, whether at community events or on game days.
“Why would I want to leave a place where I’m being shown so much love and support?” Duvivier said. “Why would I leave the family atmosphere?”