Edge-of-your-seat Excitement Expected When Fraser Valley, Hamilton Clash in Semifinals of CEBL Summer Series
Marika Guérin • Aug 08, 2020
Before the CEBL Summer Series began, league prognosticators were looking at Fraser Valley and wondering how much better they might be than the Bandits team from a year ago that finished 4-16 and last in the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s inaugural campaign. New head coach and general manager Kyle Julius brought an impressive international coaching resume and a roster of players familiar to him to Abbotsford to relaunch a franchise that dropped the first nine games in its history.
Midway through the Bandits opening game of the Summer Series, those questions were answered. Fraser Valley would be a team that would get after its opponent from the opening tip through the final buzzer. They opened eyes around the league by taking a 59-42 lead into halftime of their opening game against an Edmonton team that would lose that night but then roll off five straight wins over every other club in the league en route to securing the top seed in the playoff rounds. The Stingers were a popular pick to win the CEBL Summer Series before it began, but it was Fraser Valley that turned heads on opening weekend.
Julius made it a point to explain how his Bandits are everything today’s opponent, the Hamilton Honey Badgers, are not, posting a team video rightly touting that his club lacked the NBA G League and Canadian National team flavour of some other clubs. The Honey Badgers weren’t named, but they didn’t need to be. Their roster is filled with well-known players, while the Bandits roster is filled with players who have only become better known to observers who have watched the Summer Series since it began July 25.
Hamilton lost three probable starters, all with NBA G League pedigree, for different reasons the week before the Summer Series began - and then lost spiritual leader Duane Notice, also from the G League and national team program, to a torn Achilles during the Series. Head Coach Ryan Schmidt has had to reshape his roster multiple times in the past month, especially in the past 10 days, as players have been lost along the way. Yet the Honey Badgers still lead several CEBL statistical categories and have shown they can play with anybody on any given night.
Today’s matchup presents two teams similar in that they rely heavily on ball pressure and scoring in transition. While it may look like controlled chaos to the casual fan, generating scoring from defense and ball movement is key to both clubs. Fraser Valley rolls four guards much of the time, led by sharp-shooting veterans Marek Klassen and Junior Cadougan. Youngster Malcolm Duvivier and vocal team leader Jahenns Manigat push the ball, get to the basket, and wreak havoc on defense. In the black pinstripes, Brianté Weber has shown to be the best defensive player in the Summer Series and why he’s had stints in the NBA with Miami, Houston, Golden State, Charlotte, and Memphis. He’s averaging a league-best 2.43 steals a game, but more than that, he’s a presence on all 94 feet of hardwood any time he’s in the game.
Hamilton has shown the most balanced lineup in the Summer Series with eight players averaging 19 or more minutes of playing time through seven games. Weber’s 25.4 average leads the way. Only Weber (12.9) and Jean-Victor Mukama (12.7) are averaging double-digit scoring on the Hamilton roster for today’s game. Hamilton’s 44.1 to 41.7 rebounding advantage enables the team to get out and run as it likes to do.
Look for Hamilton to exploit its size advantage in the frontcourt and force Fraser Valley to beat them with outside shooting. The Bandits are averaging 22.0 points off opponents’ turnovers, so will be working to force Hamilton, already generous with league-high 19.4 giveaways per game, into sloppy play and careless mistakes.
Number three seed Hamilton topped second-seed Fraser Valley, 102-96, in their August 1 meeting. But since then both clubs have lost key producers—Cameron Forte who was the Bandits most productive offensive threat in the frontcourt, and Caleb Agada for Hamilton who scored 16 points in 19 minutes despite not having had a minute of practice time with the Honey Badgers prior to being added to the active roster 90 minutes before tipoff.
Expect an entertaining high-octane game fueled by ball pressure and grit this afternoon. The winner draws either top-seed Edmonton or the expansion Ottawa BlackJacks in the CEBL Championship game at 12 noon Sunday. Knowing these two clubs, the loser starts work Monday preparing for the 2021 CEBL season.
Quarterfinal Recap
After defeating Guelph, 84-70, on Wednesday to earn the number-two seed and a bye into the semifinals, Fraser Valley had the advantage of watching Thursday as Hamilton and Ottawa each played quarterfinal games. The BlackJacks grounded the Guelph Nighthawks, 83-75, to advance to the semifinals to face top-seed Edmonton at 3:50 p.m. ET today.
The Honey Badgers knocked out Niagara for the second year in a row to open the playoffs, 85-83, in a game that looked out of reach for the River Lions before they waged a furious comeback and took the Elam Ending the distance. With the target score of 84 posted, Weber rolled home a tough layup in traffic to deliver the victory. Hamilton had led 75-69 heading into the Elam Ending. Mukama scored a game-high 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds to pace the Honey Badgers.
First Meeting
Playing for the first time without guard Duane Notice, who appeared to be on his way to contending for tournament MVP honours, the Hamilton Honey Badgers welcomed Caleb Agada to the team 90 minutes before tip-off and needed all of his 16 points, plus the team-high 18 from Manny Diressa to seal a 102-96 victory. Fraser Valley got off to a slow start in this one, something that was a pattern for the team throughout the six-game regular season portion of the competition and had to play catch up most of the contest. Hamilton led 76-59 midway through the third quarter and resisted short rallies from Fraser Valley down the stretch. The Bandits posted an 18-10 scoring edge during the Elam Ending to narrow the final margin.
Hamilton shot .507 from the floor in this contest, and had six players score in double figures led by Diressa’s 18. The Honey Badgers dominated the boards by a 46-39 advantage, with the Bandits total including a game-high 10 retrieves from the now-departed Cameron Forte. Fraser Valley scored 26 points off 20 Hamilton turnovers, a key area the Bandits will need to exploit again today.
| PPG | FG-FGA | FG% | FT-FTA | FT% | O-D-REB | AST | TO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 86.6 | 211-486 | .434 | 116-161 | .721 | 92-217-309 | 131 | 134 |
| HBB Opp. | 84.7 | 210-496 | .423 | 112-151 | .742 | 90-202-292 | 132 | 122 |
| Fraser Valley | 87.7 | 185-423 | .437 | 100-131 | .763 | 73-182-255 | 113 | 94 |
| FV Opp. | 80.7 | 170-416 | .409 | 90-124 | .726 | 78-178-256 | 92 | 112 |
CEBL On the World Stage
More than 130 million new viewers will be able to watch this weekend’s semifinals and championship game of the CEBL Summer Seriesthanks to distribution agreements secured by MEDIAPRO Canada, the international media rights and production partner of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. The three games are now available to viewers in Australia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Fox Sports, the top sports broadcaster in Australia with more than two million subscribers, Astro SuperSport, Malaysia’s dominant pay-TV sports broadcaster, and Singapore’s Singtel mioSports channels are airing the games throughout Asia-Pacific territories.
In the Philippines, where there are 75 million smartphones in use, the free TapGo app is delivering the games to a country that is renowned for its passion for basketball and is the third biggest market for the NBA behind the United States and China. In Taiwan, Sportcast, operated by CSTV Group, will telecast the three games.
MEDIAPRO Canada previously facilitated the live streaming of all 26 CEBL Summer Seriesgames on Twitch.tv, the world’s leading live, interactive streaming service for gaming, sports, entertainment, and music with 17.5 million users. Games are available on the twitch.tv/cebleague channel. Twitch recently launched a standalone sports category, featuring other top professional basketball leagues, including the NBA G League, Australia’s National Basketball League, and Brazil’s Novo Basquete.
Next Up
The winner of this matchup meets the winner of today’s second game between top-seed Edmonton and four-seed Ottawa in the CEBL Championship game Sunday at 12 noon. Defending champion Saskatchewan failed to qualify for the playoff portion of the Summer Series after posting a 1-5 record during the round robin portion of the competition, so a new league champion will be crowned.
LATEST NEWS
The Vancouver Bandits announced Friday that one of the province’s largest General Motors dealerships, Preston Chevrolet, has renewed its dedication to supporting Canadian professional basketball by extending its community and marketing partnership with the Bandits for the 2024 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. Vancouver Bandits and Preston Chevrolet have been partners since the Vancouver Bandits made their debut at the Langley Events Centre in 2022. The focus of Preston Chevrolet’s partnership with BC’s professional basketball team is to contribute to the game day experience at the home venue, the Langley Events Centre (LEC), while supporting their additional community outreach programs. This support includes initiatives such as; the Community Champion program, Vancouver Bandits’ school visits, and community event attendance throughout the province powered by the Vancouver Bandits’ Community Cruiser proudly supplied by Preston Chevrolet. Since 2022, Preston Chevrolet has supported the Community Champion program where community teams from across the region have experienced Vancouver Bandits basketball in the Preston Players’ Lounge at Langley Events Centre. The community Champion program allowed hundreds of at-risk youths to get the opportunity to attend Vancouver Bandits games; an opportunity that many would not receive otherwise. With the support of Preston Chevrolet, from November 2023 to February 2024; the Vancouver Bandits head coach & general manager Kyle Julius visited 81 middle school and high schools across the province. The purpose of these visits was to support middle school and high school basketball programs with complimentary coaching and player development. “Our community partnership with the Bandits has been outstanding from the start. Both our organizations believe in the value and accessibility of sports, particularly team sports for youth and families in our communities” said Peter Heppner of Preston Chevrolet. Preston Chevrolet has been a family-owned and operated business in Langley since 1965. Purchased from the Preston family in 2006 Peter and son (Leigh Heppner) continue the long-standing commitment to supporting the communities they serve. “The moment we committed to Langley Events Centre in 2022 we were made aware of Peter Heppner and Preston Chevrolet’s commitment to giving back to the community. It was more than just marketing for Peter and Preston Chevrolet, it was about finding ways for Vancouver Bandits basketball to execute programming that provided youth in our community with accessible opportunities. Peter Heppner, Leigh Heppner, and the entire team at Preston Chevrolet have embraced Vancouver Bandits basketball with open arms, enabling us to strengthen our community and bring us together through basketball. We are excited to continue our partnership for a third consecutive season.” Bandits team president Dylan Kular said.
The Vancouver Bandits announced Thursday that the club has signed 6-foot-9 forward and former Santa Clara University Bronco Josip Vrankic for its upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season at Langley Events Centre (LEC). A native of Toronto, Ont., Josip is currently playing for Gipuzkoa in the LEB Oro, the second highest division of professional basketball in Spain, which as a nation boasts the second best national team FIBA ranking in the world behind the United States. The 2023-24 campaign in progress is Vrankic’s second professional season after playing five decorated seasons of NCAA Division I basketball at Santa Clara between 2017-22, the alma mater of Victoria, B.C. product and NBA Hall of Famer Steve Nash. Vrankic will report to Vancouver upon the conclusion of his current season in Spain. "I am excited to join the Bandits family and to be part of a group that is focused on winning and growing together. I have heard great things about the fanbase in Vancouver and I am looking forward to a special season," Vrankic said. Vancouver’s highly anticipated home opener is on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. PT against the Montréal Alliance. Single game tickets for the home opener and all regular season games are on sale now at this link . Vrankic is enjoying another solid season early in his professional career; posting averages of 22.4 minutes, 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on 34.4 per cent shooting from three-point range over the course of 32 games played with Gipuzkoa. Last year he made his pro debut with Chieti, where he placed first on the club in rebounds (8.0) and second in points per game (14.9) in 17 games played before signing with Ravenna to finish the 2022-23 season. Prior to turning pro, Vrankic appeared in 137 games for the Broncos, starting 131 – a program record. His 1,817 career points place him third in school history while his 801 rebounds place him eighth. Vrankic punctuated his illustrious Division I career by earning four consecutive West Coast Conference (WCC) selections; including back-to-back first team recognition in 2021 and 2022. “Josip is a very high IQ basketball player with great versatility. He can really shoot and play inside. We think he is a great fit for our group and we really look forward to him becoming part of our family,” said Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. Vancouver will play a total of 10 regular season home games in 2024 between Thursday, May 23 and Thursday, July 18. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road against Montréal on Sunday, July 28 at 1 p.m. PT. All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on TSN+, as well as the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ , and on CEBL Mobile, the official app of the CEBL (available on Android and iOS devices). Individuals interested in ticket flexibility or purchasing a bundle of tickets are invited to consider a flex pack or season tickets . More information can be found at thebandits.ca/tickets or by speaking with a Bandits representative by calling (604) 455-8881 or emailing tickets@thebandits.ca . A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here . More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok , as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter .
The Vancouver Bandits announced Tuesday that the province’s largest energy provider, FortisBC Energy Inc. (FortisBC) , has renewed its dedication to supporting Canadian professional basketball by extending its community and marketing partnership with the Bandits for the 2024 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. The focus of FortisBC’s partnership with British Columbia’s professional basketball team is to contribute to the game day experience at Vancouver’s home venue of the Langley Events Centre (LEC) and to support basketball communities throughout British Columbia through the Indigenous Basketball Collective program’s youth clinics, officiating clinics and coaching clinics. Through Indigenous Basketball Collective, FortisBC and Vancouver Bandits previously built outdoor basketball courts that now serve as new recreational hubs for local youth in four Indigenous communities across the province and have hosted youth basketball clinics for Indigenous youth. “Our support for the Vancouver Bandits is an example of FortisBC’s commitment to the communities where we live and work,” said Doug Slater, vice-president of Indigenous relations and regulatory affairs at FortisBC. “We have made great strides with the Bandits in building safe basketball facilities for Indigenous youth across the province and look forward to our continued work together.” FortisBC believes strongly in being an active partner with communities and supports many community-based initiatives and organizations throughout British Columbia each year. Since 2022, the goal of the Indigenous Basketball Collective has been to create increased opportunities for Indigenous players, coaches and others involved in basketball to participate in training camps, competitions, workshops and more. “According to I∙SPARC, basketball is the most popular sport amongst Indigenous youth in this province and through the Indigenous Basketball Collective we can support the basketball ecosystem in British Columbia. FortisBC has been a pillar partner for the Collective since 2022 and their support of the Collective has seen hundreds of youth attend camps and dozens of new coaches and officials added into the basketball ecosystem. Their support of basketball goes beyond supporting the professional basketball club in this province and we are grateful for their support.” Bandits team president Dylan Kular said. More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok , as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter .
The Vancouver Bandits announced Tuesday that internationally celebrated vocalist and actor Sharry Mann will perform at Langley Events Centre (LEC) on Saturday, June 1 when the Bandits host the visiting Calgary Surge for the club’s first-ever South Asian Heritage Game. Exclusive to ticketholders for the Bandits’ game day, Mann will delight Bandits fans in attendance with two performances on June 1st; including a pre-game concert in the arena bowl and a half-time show during the intermission between the second and third quarters of gameplay. Fans in attendance are kindly encouraged to arrive prior to 7 p.m. PT to ensure that they have time to find parking (free on-site at LEC) and locate their seats before Mann’s performance, which will be shortly after the top of the hour before the Bandits and Surge tip-off at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for Mann’s highly anticipated concert; which is included in the cost of a Bandits game ticket, are on sale now at this link . Admission to the concert and game are combined and start at $27.50 per ticket. All ticket prices are inclusive of taxes and fees. A world-renowned artist famous for his appearances and chart-topping hits in Punjabi music and film, Mann has amassed hundreds of millions of plays on YouTube and Spotify ; including tracks such as ‘3 Peg’ (800+ million plays on YouTube, 50+ million Spotify streams) and Hostel (250+ million plays on YouTube, 13+ million Spotify streams). Mann’s success has paved the way for the talented artist to be recognized globally. Recent recognition includes winning best music video at the Brit Asia TV Music Awards for ‘Yaar Chadeya’ in 2019, as well as having various tracks appear in the Top 40 of the Britain’s Official Charts . The June 1st Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) match-up between Vancouver and Calgary will be the first time that the Western Conference foes have met since Calgary inched past Vancouver in last year’s Western Conference Finals. Adding to the game’s excitement is the debut of the Bandits’ South Asian Heritage jersey, designed by Sandeep Johal to be worn by Vancouver at the game to honour and celebrate the culture and artistry of South Asia. “I am thrilled to welcome Sharry Mann and his management to Langley Events Centre for what will surely be one of the most exciting games of the 2024 CEBL season. Fans in attendance will be treated to two awesome musical performances courtesy of Sharry as well as a must-watch rematch against our rivals from Calgary,” said Bandits team president Dylan Kular. Vancouver will play a total of 10 regular season home games in 2024 between Thursday, May 23 and Thursday, July 18. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road against Montréal on Sunday, July 28 at 1 p.m. PT. All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on TSN+, as well as the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+ , and on CEBL Mobile, the official app of the CEBL (available on Android and iOS devices). Individuals interested in ticket flexibility or purchasing a bundle of tickets are invited to consider a flex pack or season tickets . More information can be found at thebandits.ca/tickets or by speaking with a Bandits representative by calling (604) 455-8881 or emailing tickets@thebandits.ca . A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here . More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok , as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter .
LATEST VIDEO
A provincial coaches clinic co-hosted by the Vancouver Bandits and Basketball BC featuring Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius and Canada Basketball coaching alumni Allison and Mike McNeill. Please watch a full video recap of the event by clicking above or scroll to the desired chapter by hovering your cursor over the video timeline. A breakdown of chapters from the coaching clinic has been included below for reference. 0:00:00 - Allison McNeill and Mike McNeill Introductions 0:01:56 - Warmup 0:11:38 - Individual Shooting Drills 0:26:49 - Inside/Outside Drill 0:39:20 - Post Drill 0:42:42 - Perimeter Iso Drill 0:55:05 - Passing Drill 0:59:54 - 2x2x2 Drill 1:06:09 - 1-on-1 building up to 4-on-4 drills 1:18:57 - Spacing Drills 1:23:45 - Allison McNeill and Mike McNeill Closing Remarks 1:26:43 - Kyle Julius Introduction 1:43:31 - Power Spots/Spacing Drills 1:52:15 - Transition Drills 1:59:27 - Offence Drills 2:02:14 - Flair Slip Offence 2:11:25 - Motion Pin Offence 2:17:33 - Late Clock Offence 2:22:49 - Kyle Julius Closing Remarks
Inside the life of a CEBL U SPORTS Development Athlete and Canada West men's basketball star. Follow along as we join Diego Maffia for a "Day in the Life" of a U SPORTS athlete during a road game between the University of Victoria Vikes and the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades. Directed and edited by Simrit Saini.
A provincial education seminar co-hosted by Basketball BC and Vancouver Bandits professional basketball club. Vancouver Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius and Trinity Western Spartans women’s basketball head coach Cheryl Jean-Paul provide their insights on the question, “How does knowledge of who your officials will be affect your pregame planning?” Click here to watch question 2 .
A provincial education seminar co-hosted by Basketball BC and Vancouver Bandits professional basketball club. Vancouver Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius, Trinity Western Spartans women’s basketball head coach Cheryl Jean-Paul and U SPORTS/CEBL official Trevor West provide their insights on the question, “How does your familiarity with an official affect how you interact with officials during the game?” Click here to watch question 3 .
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