Fraser Valley Bandits 2022 Free Agency Update

Tejpaul Garcha • April 11, 2022

The Fraser Valley Bandits lace up for their inaugural season at Langley Events Centre on May 25th.


A new venue brings excitement for fans new and old as the club’s fanbase from across the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland regions eagerly awaits a new entertainment product and revamped game presentation. 


The Bandits have welcomed new additions to the squad. Head coach Mike Taylor is one of them. Taylor is a decorated coach coming off a historic run with the Polish men’s basketball team that saw Poland rise from 42 to 13 in the world rankings during his tenure, which lasted from 2014 to 2021. Taylor is excited to coach the Bandits and help the team win. 


“As a new coach coming in, I want to beat everybody. You know, the end goal is a championship and whoever is competing for that championship, those are the people you want to compete with,” Taylor said.


The 20 game Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season will feature key matchups against rivals, as well as one game at home and on the road against each of the CEBL’s expansion franchises.

 

The Montréal Alliance, Newfoundland Growlers, and the Scarborough Shooting Stars are the latest additions to the CEBL fold. The Shooting Stars are the first expansion team to challenge the Bandits when they visit the LEC on June 18th. 


An issue last season for the Bandits was road trips. The Bandits finished 2-5 on the road last season. With three new teams scattered further east in Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland, CEBL road trips will be more difficult this season. Taylor has determined areas of address that he believes will help the team remedy its woes on the road.


For Taylor, it begins on the defensive end.


“You've got to have an improved defensive mentality,” Taylor said. “If you want to be a championship calibre team, defence travels well, so you got to make the commitment to defend. That's number one.”


The former bench boss for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League is looking to maximize the team's potential this season. After a Fraser Valley championship berth in 2020 and a trip to the semifinals in 2021, he knows that the Bandits' fanbase is hungry for a big season.

Free Agency in Full Swing


All signs point towards an exciting 2022 campaign for the Bandits thanks to the arrival of some key returning players in Alex Campbell and Malcolm Duvivier, as well as the recently announced signing of a left-handed sharpshooter, Murphy Burnatowski. 


The 6-foot-8 forward had an impressive showing in Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA). Burnatowski started four out of six games and averaged 10.3 points per game and shot 38.7 percent 45% from beyond the arc throughout six games played in Nicaragua and Canada.


Taylor has high praise for Burnatowski.


"He makes his teammates better out there on the court. You talk about a guy that can impact the game from the front court – I think Murphy is that,” Taylor said.


Burnatowksi previously suited up for the Hamilton Honey Badgers in 2019, helping the club advance to the CEBL finals.

Key Matchups in Ontario 


Here are storylines to look forward to before the Bandits tip-off on May 25th: 

 

Guelph Nighthawks (Historical Head-to-Head Record: 3-3)

 

The Bandits look to win the tiebreaker this season against their rivals from Guelph. The two franchises have a history together. In 2020 the Bandits beat the Nighthawks to earn a bye to the CEBL semifinals in the final regular season game of the CEBL Summer Series. In 2021, the Bandits defeated Guelph 104-84 on Aug. 15, 2021, in an emphatic quarterfinal playoff win that sent Fraser Valley to CEBL Championship Weekend in Edmonton.

 

The Nighthawks host the Bandits on June 15 and will visit LEC on July 15.

 

Niagara River Lions (Historical Head-to-Head Record: 2-5)

 

Following an 84-82 semifinal defeat at the hands of the River Lions in the 2021 postseason, the Bandits are ready to bounce back The two teams will meet in Langley in July. Niagara will then host the Bandits on July 25. 


Hamilton Honey Badgers (Historical Head-to-Head Record: 2-4)


The Bandits will travel to  FirstOntario Centre on May 27 and look to notch their first-ever road victory against the Honey Badgers.


The June 27 matchup will also be Burnatowski’s first game against his former CEBL team.

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