‘FAMILY ATMOSPHERE’ FUELS DUVIVIER’S RETURN TO THE BANDITS
By Bandits Contributor: Yulissa Cortina • April 5, 2021
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?”
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Physio District is proud to partner with the Vancouver Bandits as the organization’s Official Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Provider. Led by Director of Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Vic Sanghera and Physiotherapist Neil Nijjar, the partnership will support the Bandits with comprehensive injury management, rehabilitation, performance optimization, recovery, and return-to-play services throughout the CEBL season. With extensive experience working in high-performance sport, amateur and professional athletics, and international competition environments, Physio District brings an integrated approach focused on athlete availability, performance support, and evidence-informed care through manual therapy, movement analysis, and corrective exercise principles. In collaboration with the Bandits performance staff, the partnership will also incorporate advanced athlete monitoring and performance technologies through Hawkins Dynamics systems, including force plate testing and TruStrength performance assessment tools, to support rehabilitation progression, performance profiling, and return-to-play decision-making. Physio District is committed to helping athletes perform at their highest level while supporting long-term health, recovery, and durability throughout the demands of a professional basketball season. Physio District is excited to support the Vancouver Bandits organization and contribute to a high-performance environment both on and off the court.
The Vancouver Bandits were unable to find consistent offense against the Edmonton Stingers, suffering a 91-78 defeat Saturday night at the Edmonton Expo Centre. The game started with both teams going blow for blow in scoring, until the Stingers began to pull away with three-pointers from Samage Teel and Michael Nuga. The Stingers applied overwhelming defensive pressure, slowing down the Bandits up-tempo offence. The Bandits got into a rhythm in the second quarter, chipping away at the deficit and out-pacing the Stingers defense. The Stingers went cold offensively as they approached half time, going a full three minutes without scoring. That dry spell for the Stingers took place during a 19-6 run for the Bandits in that quarter, as they defended aggressively and found more space on the attack. Jalen House shot 8 for 9 in the first half at the free throw line, while Tevian Jones used his explosive athleticism to score 16 points. The Bandits took the lead on free throws from reigning Canadian Player of the Year, Tyrese Samuel, who finished with a team-leading 13 rebounds. The second quarter ended with the Bandits on top, 42-38. The Stingers responded in the third quarter with gritty, physical defense, while using the full shot clock on offense. The Bandits couldn’t build momentum, allowing 33 points and surrendering the lead. The Bandits flirted with a comeback in the fourth, shrinking the Stingers’ lead to seven points, but were unable to capitalise. House led the game in scoring with 27 points, but he was disappointed with the defensive effort from the Bandits. “We were letting them get [points] too easily in the paint, easy threes.” Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said “our defensive effort was poor everywhere,” calling tonight’s game “one of our worst performances in two to three years.” The success in the second quarter came from the Bandits “playing good defense, playing hard,” said House. “That’s obviously why we shot up and got that three point lead going into half time, but we got away from it.” The Stingers big man Dain Dainja put up 25 points and 14 rebounds in over 29 minutes, all of which led his team. Vancouver falls to 1-1, and goes down 0-1 in the home-and-home series. Vancouver will play Edmonton again on Friday, May 22 for their Home Opener at Envision Financial Court at the Langley Events Centre. Tickets are available for purchase at this link . Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2798728
Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Mamba on May 14, 2026.
The Vancouver Bandits opened the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season on the road with a 124-95 victory over the re-branded Saskatoon Mamba at SaskTel Centre on Thursday. Guard Jaelen House, who was signed just two days prior to the season opener, ran the floor for the fast-paced Bandits offense posting a double-double with 33 points and 10 assists. His debut efforts earned him “Player of the Game” honours in his first CEBL games “Jaelen [House] just got in here 24 hours ago,” said Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius. “Figuring the guys out, figuring the system out, that’s big.” Vancouver wasted no time, jumping out to an early lead from House and Mychal Mulder. The team set a new franchise record, scoring 68 points in the first half. Local rookies Dominic Parolin and Shadynn Smid both debuted and got their first professional buckets. Parolin logged an efficient 11 points in over six minutes, while Smid played impressive defense. Saskatoon had difficulties slowing down Vancouver, especially struggling with the chemistry between House and Tyrese Samuel as they combined for 57 points. Their soft and porous defense provided plenty of time and space for Vancouver to feast, with six players scoring double digits. When asked about the balanced attack, Mulder credited their teamwork. ”Just continuing to play together. I think we did a good job of sharing the ball, did a good job of locking in on our defensive assignments,” he said. Saskatoon’s offense was stymied, with every player logging a negative plus/minus. Vancouver’s tight defense clogged passing lanes and strangled Saskatoon’s offense to the tune of 21 turnovers. Tevian Jones picked up four steals, leading the team. Mulder was proud of the effort, saying they defended “as a unit on that end of the floor. [We’re] continuing to grow as a unit and staying together.” Vancouver dominated in the paint, scoring 74 points under the hoop against Saskatoon’s underwhelming 42. House, Samuel, and Jones flashed their speed on the fast break, with the team scoring 21 points while flying downhill. Saskatoon head coach Isaiah Fox got a rude awakening in his first game with the team, saying “Obviously, that could’ve went better.” “Vancouver is a very physical team, and I don't think we quite matched their physicality,” he said. “There were some good moments but unfortunately they came already when we were down double-digit points.” The physicality was on display in the third quarter as Vancouver suffocated Saskatoon defensively, allowing just 17 points. Saskatoon went a whole 2:45 without scoring, while Vancouver increased their lead to 32 in that time. Their biggest lead of the game would be 36. However, Saskatoon made progress in the fourth quarter, out-scoring Vancouver 31 to 24. Trey Townsend came off the bench to lead Saskatoon, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the final frame. Dajuan Gordon chipped in 20 points for Saskatoon, knocking down 5-6 at the charity stripe. Julius was unhappy with the team letting off the gas late in the game. “I thought we really let up in the fourth quarter, but it's an entirely new group,” he said. “We only have two, three guys from last year's team, so overall it was a solid first game for sure.” “I think these first couple games are all about us getting used to the league. We have a lot of guys that have never played in this league,” Julius added. “so we're still kind of just getting used to everything.” Vancouver begins their season 1-0. Vancouver will travel to Edmonton to take on the Stingers on Saturday, May 16, at the Edmonton EXPO Centre at 6:00 p.m. in a home-and-home series. Edmonton comes to Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre to play Vancouver in their Home Opener on Friday, May 22, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at this link .
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