Coach Kannemeyer’s 3 Keys vs. EDM - July 27
By: Cassidy Kannemeyer • July 27, 2021
Here are Coach Kannemeyer's 3 Keys to the Game:
The Closer?
After nine games the Fraser Valley Bandits have been able to win more than they have lost thanks to balanced scoring throughout the roster. Seven Bandits average double figures in scoring, with Alex Campbell leading the way at 15.8 points per game. In Bandits' losses, minus the game versus the Hamilton Honey Badgers, the team looked lost in the closing minutes of both the second and fourth quarters. Exhibit A was on Sunday afternoon. Kenny Manigault led the comeback to the four minute Elam ending mark versus the Edmonton Stingers, but as the game tightened the Bandits took turns trying to hit shots instead of trying to focus on the hot hand of Manigault.
This team may not be built like that but I do believe that this group could have multiple closers. Campbell, Manigault and Shaquille Keith are all capable of generating offensive pressure against any opponent. Campbell can run high pick and rolls with the big man Brandon Gilbeck. Keith is the team's best one-on-one iso wing, but in the closing minutes the team could be better served to post him up around the elbow areas. Lastly, Manigault may have the team's highest scoring upside, but still has to figure out what areas he needs the ball in.
On Sunday he was able to glide to the basket around several defenders in semi-transition and one-on-one attacks. Whatever the case, the Bandits will have to focus their offensive attack in the second and fourth quarters and play through one of their offensive stars if they hope to beat the Stingers on Tuesday night.
A Dose of Discipline
Throughout the game Sunday, it appeared that many of the Bandits got rattled playing against the league's best team, the Edmonton Stingers. I was at the game Sunday and couldn’t really tell if the Stingers were initiating the beef that got under the team's skin.
Clearly something was bothering both Brandon Gilbeck and Shaquille Keith. He also seemed to be visually upset when his teammates missed him on lob passes around the hoop. The key here for any player at this level is that you have to continue to play hard through the adversity and not let your body language affect the rest of the team.
Shaquille Keith absolutely played to this narrative as he also fouled the game winning three-point shooter on a play where his frustration had clearly boiled over to the point where he lost control of his close-out fundamentals in a critical situation.
These moments did not cause the team to lose directly, but they were definite factors in the loss on Sunday, and an alarming sign if the team is to make a return trip to the CEBL finals.
Clean the Glass!
The Bandits haven’t been dominated on the glass this season by anybody in the CEBL. One of the team's greatest skills early in the year after a perfect 4-0 start was that everybody was cleaning up loose balls and defensive rebounds. In the last two losses, where the margin of error to win was so close, the Bandits struggled to come up with defensive rebounds and loose balls after excellent defensive sequences. As mentioned earlier, like the team's offensive struggles in critical situations in the second and fourth quarters, the team is also struggling to finish off defensive possessions in those moments as well.
Sometimes this is just bad luck, the basketball gods creating a bounce that goes the other team's way is hardly controllable. However, hustle and hard work create luck and sometimes just being better at blocking out offensive rebounders who are crashing to create tip-outs is a recipe for success. To get a win Tuesday night, the Bandits will have to out work the Stingers in the dirty areas, limiting them to one shot and creating more easy buckets in offensive transition.
LATEST NEWS
The Canadian Elite Basketball League has confirmed that the start time for the Vancouver Bandits’ away game on Thursday, May 14 against Saskatoon Mamba at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Sask, has been changed from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. PT. This game will be Vancouver’s first game of the 2026 CEBL regular season. The game, along with all Bandits games during the 2026 season, will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and the CEBL Mobile app. Fans can also tune in on the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel.
The Vancouver Bandits announced Thursday that the club has signed 6-foot-9 forward Dominic Parolin to its roster for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. Hailing from Coquitlam, B.C., this marks Parolin’s first professional basketball contract after recently completing a six-year NCAA DI career with stints at Boise State University and Lehigh University. “I can’t wait to start off my professional career with the Bandits. This organization has a history of success and I am excited to be a part of it,” said Parolin. “Having grown up around Vancouver, this is also a great opportunity to reconnect with the local basketball community.” After redshirting during the 2024-25 season, Parolin appeared in 32 games for the Boise State Broncos in 2025-26 where he suited up in 32 games with averages of 5.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.5 blocks in 17.0 minutes per game. Prior to Boise State, Parolin played four seasons with the Lehigh Mountain Hawks where he was named Third Team All-Patriot League in 2024. “We are all excited about working with Dominic. He has had a tremendous college career and has a very high ceiling as a professional player,” said Bandits head coach and general manager, Kyle Julius. “Dominic plays with big time toughness, has great size and a versatile game as a power forward. Being a B.C. kid, we are thrilled that he is back home playing for us in front of friends and family.” An alumnus of Centennial Secondary in Coquitlam, B.C., Parolin captained the Centaurs’ senior boys team to a fifth-place finish at the 2020 BC 4A Boys Basketball Provincial Championship, while also earning First Team All-Star honours at the tournament. The Bandits open the 2026 CEBL season on Thursday, May 14 on the road in Saskatoon before coming home for its Home Opener against the Edmonton Stingers on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. A full game schedule can be viewed here . Bandits Single Game Tickets and additional 2026 ticket options can be purchased here . All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, the CEBL Mobile app, the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Marquee games will air nationally on CBC TV. 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 Thursday that the club has signed NBA-experienced guard Mychal Mulder for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. A 6-foot-3 guard from Windsor, Ont., Mulder appeared in 84 NBA games between 2019 to 2022 for the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. His breakout season in 2020-21 saw him appear in 60 games for the Warriors, where he averaged 5.6 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.4 assists in 12.8 minutes, including six starts alongside the likes of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. “I am excited to be in Vancouver to play with the Bandits and work with coach Kyle Julius this summer. Playing in a Canadian league is a first for me, and it is an opportunity that I take pride in,” said Mulder. “We are going to have a really good group and a very competitive season; Bandits fans, get ready.” Mulder most recently played for the Washington Wizards’ NBA G League affiliate, Capital City Go-Go, during the 2023-24 season where he appeared in 27 games and averaged 5.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists in 17.3 minutes per game. A product of the University of Kentucky, Mulder played two seasons of NCAA DI basketball from 2015 to 2017. He averaged 4.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists in 10.6 minutes through 32 contests for a Wildcats squad that advanced to the Elite Eight at the 2017 NCAA March Madness tournament. “Mychal is an elite Canadian player who has built a career as accomplished as any player to play in our league. He will provide big time experience and leadership to our group,” said head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “He has played with the best players in the world and it is going to be awesome to have him enhance our culture and push our group towards a championship.” Internationally, Mulder has represented Canada at the senior level on two occasions at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers and the 2021 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Mulder joins reigning CEBL Canadian Player of the Year Tyrese Samuel as players who have signed with the Bandits for the upcoming 2026 season. The Bandits open the 2026 CEBL season on Thursday, May 14 on the road in Saskatoon before coming home for its Home Opener against the Edmonton Stingers on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. Bandits Single Game Tickets and additional 2026 ticket options can be purchased here . All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, the CEBL Mobile app, the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Marquee games will air nationally on CBC TV. More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.
The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is proud to announce CEBL Signing Day , coming April 8. Replacing the CEBL Draft , Signing Day will roll out across league-wide social platforms, spotlighting the next wave of elite Canadian talent as student-athletes from U SPORTS and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) officially sign for the 2026 season. Two athletes per team will be announced, with the possibility of more signings as the season approaches. Since 2019, the CEBL’s partnership with U SPORTS and more recently also the CCAA has built a pro-level stage where the best intercollegiate talent from coast to coast can shine. CEBL teams are incentivized to carry development players on their active rosters, with up to three developmental players eligible per game outside the Club’s salary cap. The results speak for themselves: 116 student-athletes from 44 schools across Canada have been selected by CEBL clubs through the draft process, a testament to the exceptional depth and calibre of Canadian collegiate basketball. The world will be watching. Through the CEBL's landmark five-year broadcast partnership with CBC Sports, these talented student-athletes will get national, and global, spotlight. Marquee games will air on CBC TV, including the first-ever best-of-three CEBL Finals in league history, with every CEBL game live streamed on CBC Gem and CBC Sports YouTube and CEBL+ . Canadian basketball has never been more visible and it's only getting bigger. For the full 2026 CEBL schedule, visit cebl.ca/schedule . Details on the league’s new playoff format are available at cebl.ca/playoffs , and ticket information for all CEBL games can be found at cebl.ca/tickets .
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