Fraser Valley Bandits Draft Local Prodigies, Joel Friesen and Marek Klassen, To Lead Bandits Alongside Team Canada and U SPORTS Developed Pros and Student-Athletes 

HAMILTON, MARCH. 23, 2019 – The Fraser Valley Bandits have selected Joel Friesen with the first overall pick in the inaugural CEBL Entry Draft, which took place at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ont., on Saturday and was live-streamed on CEBL.tv to an international audience.

Bandits Head Coach and General Manager Peter Guarasci used his 13 draft picks in the first step towards building a Training Camp roster featuring current Team Canada players like Friesen, as well as former Team Canada stars, such as Levon Kendall and Ransford Brempong, and Canada West and U SPORTS phenoms Mason Bourcier and Grant Shephard.

Friesen, the second-leading scorer for the Kitchener-Waterloo Titans in the NBLC, is a graduate of Yale Secondary School in Abbotsford where he won the 2008 High School Triple A MVP and enjoyed two illustrious seasons with the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades, hitting one of the biggest shots in Cascades history when a last-second three-point shot against the Lethbridge Pronghorns punched UFV’s ticket to a birth in the Canada West Final Four.

“It’s an honour to be drafted first overall in the Canadian Elite Basketball League. 7 years ago, I left Abbotsford in pursuit of a basketball dream. It was never easy to leave in the first place, but my passion for the game has driven me to do whatever it takes to be successful. Now that same dream has brought my career full circle and I couldn’t be happier,” Friesen said.

Friesen recently suited up for Team Canada in support of the Senior Men’s National Team’s run towards earning a spot at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China this upcoming September.

With their second selection, the Bandits looked within the Fraser Valley once more; in fact, within the same hallways of Yale Secondary where two years later, another provincial MVP made his mark—Marek Klassen, also a former 2010 High School Triple A MVP. Klassen graduated with an MBA from Point Loma Nazarene University, where he starred as one of the nation’s top point guards and three-point shooters in the NAIA.

“After spending 5 years in California for college, and being in Europe the past 4 years playing pro, it will be nearly 10 years since I’ve played competitively in Canada. I’m very excited to see the talent level the CEBL has to offer. Abbotsford has always been home and I’m excited to rep my city,” Klassen said.

Since graduating, Klassen has starred for top-tier pro clubs such as the Leeds Force and Worcester Wolves in the British Basketball League (BBL), CSU Atlassib Sibiu in Romania’s Liga Nationala, and for Bakirkoy Basket and Socar Petkimspor in the Turkish Basketball League (TBL). Klassen, currently playing for Socar Petkimspor, is the team’s top three-point shooter and distributor, shooting nearly 45% from beyond the arc and averaging more than 5 assists per game.

“It gives me great honour to select two of the best players in the Fraser Valley’s history with our first two picks in the inaugural CEBL Entry Draft. Joel and Marek are two-way players capable of scoring from the perimeter and getting into the paint, while also doing a great job of defending their position on the other end of the floor,” said Guarasci.

“I’m excited for Joel and Marek to have an opportunity to come home, and for fans from across the Fraser Valley and British Columbia to see how gifted these two players are, as well as the rest of our draft picks.”

Rounding out the regional round selections for the Bandits were Diego Kapelan and Dallin Bachynski. Kapelan played NCAA DI basketball at McNeese State University before taking his talents overseas, where he has built a solid reputation as one of the top Canadian import players available for elite European clubs seeking a three-point marksman. Kapelan turned pro in 2011 and has played for more than 10 different clubs across Europe over the course of an extensive pro career. In 2017, he won MVP of the William Jones Cup alongside some of Canada’s top pros and was also named an Admiral Basketball League (ABL) All-Star in 2015.

Raised in a basketball family, Bachynski is one of Canada’s top centers. His brother, Jordan, was a superb shot blocker at Arizona State, while his younger sister, Jessica, played at Utah Valley. Dallin played four years of NCAA DI basketball split between Southern Utah University (1 year) and the University of Utah (3 years) in the prestigious Pac-12 Conference, where he was a key cog in the Utah Utes’ March Madness campaigns at the NCAA Tournament.

Since graduating, Bachynski has continued his development as a modern center, demonstrating an ability to stretch the floor and defend the rim. This season, Bachynski is shooting 37% on three-point attempts while also grabbing a team leading 9.6 rebounds per game for BC Beroe in Bulgaria’s National Basketball League.

Open Round Selections (listed in alphabetical order)
• Ransford Brempong
o Current/last pro club: St. John’s Edge (NBLC, 2017-18)
o University/college: Western Carolina University
• Rashaun Broadus
o Current/last pro club: Prienu Vytautas (LKL, 2017-18)
o University/college: Brigham Young University
• Elijah Foster
o University/college: University of Nevada (2017-18)
• Troy Gottselig
o Current/last pro club: London Lighting (NBLC, 2016-17)
o University/college: University of Saskatchewan
• Maurice Jones
o Current/last pro club: Deportivo Norte (LLA, 2018-19)
o University/college: Northwest Nazarene University
• Levon Kendall
o Current/last pro club: Movistar Estudiantes (ACB, 2015-16)
o University/college: University of Pittsburgh
• Conor Morgan
o Current/last pro club: Joventut Badalona (ACB, 2018-19)
o University/college: University of British Columbia

U SPORTS Selections
• Mason Bourcier
o University/college: University of British Columbia
o High school: Kelowna Secondary School
o Year of eligibility: Entering third year
o Notable stats: Starting guard for UBC Thunderbirds team that earned a Final 8 birth at the 2019 U SPORTS National Championship. Averaged 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.3 rebounds per game during his sophomore campaign. Led the Kelowna Owls in Grade 11 to a perfect 23-0 record and a provincial championship birth in his senior year.
• Grant Shephard
o University/college: University of British Columbia
o High school: Montverde Academy
o Year of eligibility: Entering third year
o Notable stats: Starting forward for UBC Thunderbirds team that earned a Final 8 birth at the 2019 U SPORTS National Championship. Named a Canada West Second Team All-Star after posting averages of 17 points per game on 60.5% field goal shooting and grabbing 9 rebounds a game. Represented Canada at the 2017 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, in which Canada took home the gold medal after defeating Team USA in the semi-finals and Italy in the finals. Attended Montverde Academy with Team Canada and current Duke Blue Devils standout RJ Barrett.

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