BANDITS SIGN HOMEGROWN NCAA STAR AND FORMER BC PROVINCIAL CHAMPION TY ROWELL

Bandits Staff • April 28, 2022

LANGLEY, B.C., April 28, 2022 – The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Thursday that the club has signed former Western Athletic Conference (WAC) all-star and California Baptist University (CBU) starting point guard, Ty Rowell, for its upcoming season at Langley Events Centre (LEC).


Rowell recently completed a stellar five-year career with the Lancers that saw the him average 11 points, 2.8 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 30.4 minutes per game on 41.7 and 40.5 per cent from field goal and three-point range, respectively, over the course of four seasons of NCAA Division I basketball after being promoted from DII following the 2017-18 season.


During his four-year career at CBU, Rowell earned a reputation as a gritty guard thanks to his ability to lead his team’s offence and his prowess on the defensive end. His perseverance was put on full display on Nov. 25, 2020, when in his first game in more than 350 days following an ACL injury suffered the season prior, Rowell poured in 32 points and nine three-pointers in a non-conference overtime loss against the University of Southern California Trojans and future 2021 NBA third overall draft pick Evan Mobley.


“It is a special feeling to be able to return to the Township of Langley and the Walnut Grove community to begin my professional career. Playing as a member of the Gators allowed me to build many special relationships that have lasted throughout my time at CBU,” Rowell said. “After four seasons with the Lancers, I am grateful for the experiences that I have had as a Division I student-athlete and I am looking forward to building on that at the next level with the Bandits.”


After being limited to just eight games in 2019-20, Rowell bounced back in 2020-21 and finished top five in several of the WAC’s leaderboards; including minutes played (1st), assists per game (1st), three-point field goal attempts (1st), three-point field goals made (2nd) and total points (3rd). Rowell’s all-around play led to the talented guard being named All-WAC First Team for 2020-21.


In his senior season, Rowell continued to write his name in the CBU record books. He led the WAC in minutes played and three-pointers made for a second consecutive season and broke the Lancers’ program record for most three-pointers in a career with 251.


“We are really excited about adding Ty to the mix. He is a hard-nosed shooter that fits well with our group and culture. He will have a great opportunity here to grow and develop as a first-year pro and we believe he can help bolster our roster,” said Bandits general manager Kyle Julius.


A highly recruited prospect from Langley, Rowell starred at Walnut Grove Secondary and won a B.C. High School 4A Boys Basketball Championship as a member of George Bergen’s 2016-17 Gators, who boasted a 40-1 record on their way to a provincial title. 


The 2022 CEBL season will serve as the 6-foot-2 guard’s professional debut after a five-year college career that saw the sharpshooter start 57 of the 96 games that he played for the Lancers. 


Fraser Valley opens its fourth Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season on the road on Wednesday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. PT against the Ottawa BlackJacks. Following a three-game road swing to start the year, the Bandits will make their debut at LEC against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Saturday, June 4 at 2 p.m. PT.


Full and partial season packages are available for purchase at thebandits.ca/tickets. Fans are kindly asked to call (604) 866-0529 or email tickets@thebandits.ca for any questions or ticket related inquiries. Fans can also fill out this form to register their interest for tickets and to arrange to be contacted directly by a team representative.


All CEBL regular season games will be livestreamed on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices and CEBL+.


Head to thebandits.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

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