How the Bandits season-opening win is a stepping stone toward exorcising last season's demons
By Contributing Bandits Writer: Grant Vassos • July 28, 2020
In the final moments of a season opener that appeared all but wrapped up for the Fraser Valley Bandits, it all came down to one last point. What was once a 22-point lead at the start of the Elam Ending quickly evaporated to just a 10 point lead within minutes. On the sidelines, head coach Kyle Julius continued to preach calmness to his players.
“Execute, execute,” he said during a stoppage of play in the game’s closing moments.
A slight misjudgment during the dying minutes of the fourth quarter gave the Edmonton Stingers an opening to come back after Julius opted to take a whistle by fouling. With the time remaining, a pause would force the game into the Elam Ending and give the Bandits a chance to close out the win. Upon reflection, however, the strategy was a mistake.
“When you have such a big lead, there’s no point in letting them score on another possession. So, we tried to foul, and then I didn’t know the next foul was a bonus situation (for the Stingers),” Julius said.
“And then our guys relaxed in Elam, they totally let up. It was good, it was good teaching. It’s nice when you can go through a teaching moment and win at the same time because most of the teaching occurs when you lose.”
The call was out-of-bounds against the Stingers and Bandits guard Marek Klassen was responsible for inbounding the ball to set up a potential game-winner. The pass was inbounded right to a wide-open Jahenns Manigat outside the arc. Standing in front of an onlooking Bandits bench, Manigat quickly glanced down at the floor, composing himself, before sinking a dagger three-point shot to seal the 113-100 victory.
“He didn’t play in the fourth quarter because that group was playing quite well, so I was saving him for the Elam,” Julius said on Manigat’s 16-point performance. “And then he comes in the Elam and then coincidentally he makes the last shot. I can’t say enough about Jahenns, to be honest.”
The celebration remained brief – a few fist pumps from Manigat and an emphatic yell from Cameron Forte after everyone had cleared the court. More importantly, the win marked the official transition into a new era of Bandits basketball, one which is fueled by defence, shooting, and an unrelenting motor to compete.
“My dad kind of raised me on the game that way. I coached that way. All of our teams, we try and find that switch, that toughness switch,” Julius said. “I want to be able to rely on that, not shooting and other things.”
As if coming into a new season with a completely restructured roster and coaching staff after finishing the previous season with a 4-16 record wasn’t enough motivation for the Bandits, it was the noise from people outside the locker room, which caught Julius’ attention.
The team he handpicked was too small, prone to mismatches, and was pegged by everyone to finish last or second-last coming into the CEBL Summer Series. All of it served as motivation.
“I always took offense to that because I watched the CEBL last year. I didn’t see any really big teams or anything like that, so I was confused, and then I started to take it personally, and it became a chip on our shoulder,” Julius said.
Julius expected nothing less but maximum effort from his players against the Stingers and execute they did. Forte led the team with a game-high 28 points, using his assertive 6-foot-7 frame to grab offensive rebounds and work against defenders in the paint. Kyle Johnson, who put up 19 points, set the pace from the start after sprinting for a loose ball on the opening tip-off and laying up a smooth finger roll to take the lead, one the Bandits never looked back on.
“We’ve got a bunch of hungry dogs on our team that are going to compete. We’re never going to give up,” Johnson said. “And even though camp has been short, we’ve been getting after it, man. We’re really ready for this and hungry for this.”
Marek Klassen remains the only player on the current roster from that 2019 Fraser Valley team, which finished its inaugural season on a six-game losing streak and posted the worst record in the league.
For every team that year – nonetheless, an entire league – it was a feeling-out process of figuring out how the season would play out. Klassen never felt stressed about the lack of results on the court. In their final appearance of the season, they lost 95-85 to the eventual second-place Stingers. They were a team that couldn’t seem to close-out games when they mattered, many of them going into overtime.
“As a professional, you gotta take it one day at a time. I wasn’t there for the full season, neither were the rest of our guys,” Klassen said.
“So coming back here, it’s a lot of pride playing for my home city, and I think that we’ve instilled that same thing within this group. And the unfinished business sort of thing is here, so every team is circled on our schedule. We’re ready.”
With their previous loss against the Stingers avenged, the Bandits now set their sights on July 28 against the defending champion Saskatchewan Rattlers, who also won their season-opener against the Niagara River Lions in impressive fashion. Julius tempered expectations by saying how he believes no team will go undefeated this summer. Unbeaten or not, one thing has been made clear: these are not the same Bandits from before.
LATEST NEWS
The Vancouver Bandits announced Wednesday that the club has partnered with the Vancouver Park Board, Bandits Community Foundation and Little Legends Foundation to support the refurbishment of an outdoor basketball court at Grays Park in South Vancouver. The refreshed court will be unveiled this fall as part of an official launch event in collaboration between the Vancouver Bandits, Vancouver Park Board, Bandits Community Foundation and Little Legends Foundation. The court refurbishment project is part of the Bandits Community Foundation’s Court Projects program that enhances outdoor basketball courts across British Columbia, including most recently a court refurbishment in partnership with City of Pitt Meadows in September of 2024. “Building a world class basketball court in this community has been a long time dream. Thanks to our partners at the Vancouver Bandits, Bandits Community Foundation and Vancouver Park Board for coming together to make this project happen - there are a number of incredible donors we are going to announce in the coming weeks,” said Little Legends Foundation founder Spensir Sangara. “Grays Park was the perfect place for Court Projects, the basketball culture here is strong and connected. The legacy goes beyond the refurbishment where, with Vancouver Bandits and Bandits Community Foundation, we are going to host free youth camps and The Legendary Tournament at Grays Park starting in 2026.” The partnership was sparked in 2023 when Sangara expressed interest in building a basketball court for the South Vancouver community. Around the same time, the Bandits Community Foundation had completed a similar project in Pitt Meadows with the City of Pitt Meadows, creating a natural alignment between the two organizations. “Basketball has the power to bring people together, and this project is about more than just a court - it is about creating a safe, vibrant space where young people and families can connect, play, and grow,” said Vancouver Bandits team president Dylan Kular. “We are proud to work through Court Projects with our partners in the Vancouver Park Board, Bandits Community Foundation, and Little Legends Foundation to invest in South Vancouver and to use sport as a tool for building resilience, unity, and positive change in the community.” The court refurbishment at Grays Park, located at 4850 St. Catherines Street in Vancouver, includes upgrades to the basketball hoops, playing area resurfacing and seating areas. Grays Park was identified as one of Vancouver’s most active outdoor basketball spaces, and community feedback strongly supported the refurbishment. "It has been amazing to see the local community come together with the Vancouver Bandits to upgrade this beloved neighbourhood court," says Vancouver Park Board Chair Laura Christensen. "Strategic partnerships like this allow us to deliver so much public benefit for our residents.
A message from Vancouver Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius on the 2025 season and thoughts on the CEBL Western Conference Semifinal.
The last of this year’s four CEBL conference finalists was locked in once the dust settled at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday. It was the Calgary Surge earning that slot after 105-103 win over the Vancouver Bandits in the West Semifinal. Import Jameer Nelson Jr.’s 14-of-23 showing from the field and Evan Gilyard II, who finished with 29 points on a CEBL playoff record eight made triples, powered the Surge to the win. On the other side, Zach Copeland led Vancouver’s effort as he put up 30 points on 7-of-14 shooting from three and three steals. Meanwhile, captain Mitch Creek and Montreal native Tyrese Samuel chipped in 25 and 22 points, respectively. “We hunted them down, got to a position to win the game,” Creek said after the loss. “We did our job … I’m beyond proud of this organization. It’s been an incredible season, we had so much fun. But it’s so heartbreaking.” Calgary’s backcourt was humming early. First, a Miller-Moore baseline drive and dish to Gilyard II above the break for a triple, followed by a Gilyard II drive and wrap-around pass to a cutting Nelson Jr. for two more and then a Gilyard II transition make from distance for good measure. But just as it seemed Calgary was well on its way to figuring out Vancouver’s defensive strategy as the Surge held an early lead, the tides quickly changed on one play. The Bandits ran a fastbreak midway through the opening frame that not only ended with Creek finding Samuel on a dump-off pass for an easy slam, but also saw Nelson Jr. tweak something in his lower body. The Defensive Player of the Year finalist hobbled to the Surge sideline and eventually the locker room. When the Defensive Player of the Year finalist did return to the floor, what was once an 18-18 ball game had turned into a 26-18 Bandits lead. Vancouver’s charge went down as a 13-0 run as it ultimately carved out a 27-23 advantage after the first, led by Samuel’s eight points. A short-lived lead, however, as Calgary flipped the script on what was once a nine-point first-half deficit into a 61-51 lead at the break. The Surge outscored the Bandits 35-22 in the second, including a 17-2 run powered primarily by none other than the dynamic duo of Nelson Jr. and Gilyard II, who scored seven and 12 points in the frame, respectively. Also underscoring Calgary’s halftime lead was an uncharacteristically sloppy showing from Vancouver. The Bandits entered the matchup averaging the third fewest turnovers per game (13.7), but gave the ball away 11 times in the first half. Mistakes the Surge happily capitalized on with a barrage of transition triples — on 11-of-20 (55 per cent) — for a 21-1 edge for points from turnovers. And although the Bandits' struggles handling the ball continued — 10 second-half turnovers — they were able to cool down the Surge coming out of the break. Vancouver outscored Calgary 23-17 in the third, cutting what was a deficit as large as 14 down to 78-74 headed into the fourth. “We were sluggish walking around in the first half, but we came in the huddle at halftime and says ‘we got this,’” Creek said of the Bandits' second-half effort. “We changed gears, we switched mentalities and (the Langley Events Centre) woke up because we woke up.” The Bandits' momentum only continued from there as they used an 8-2 run early in the fourth to propel them to a 96-95 lead at the start of Target Score Time. Lost in the one-point advantage was a choice from Vancouver not to foul when they led by four a few possessions earlier, a decision Gilyard II made sure to make the most of as he hit a triple before the clocks stopped. After three consecutive foul calls which sent Vancouver to the line, which were overturned by independent official review, a back-and-forth Target Score Time came down to one final play that put the ball in Gilyard II’s hands. The import was fouled by Kyle Mangas while attempting a triple, sending him to the line for the win. After an official review — all foul calls that result in potential game-winning free throws are automatically reviewed — the on-court decision was confirmed and Gilyard II nailed all his attempts at the charity stripe, booking the Surge’s spot in the Western Conference Final. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2700450
Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Calgary Surge on August 16th, 2025.
LATEST VIDEO
A message from Vancouver Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius on the 2025 season and thoughts on the CEBL Western Conference Semifinal.
Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Calgary Surge on August 16th, 2025.
Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Winnipeg Sea Bears on August 3rd, 2025.
Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Calgary Surge on July 25, 2025.