Globetrotting career empowers BC-bred Marek Klassen to lead new-look Bandits
By Contributing CEBL Writer: Emily Wilson • July 8, 2020
Klassen and co. tip-off against the Edmonton Stingers on July 26 at the CEBL Summer Series.
After playing in six different countries throughout his 10-year career, 28-year-old Canadian point guard Marek Klassen has learned to thrive in unfamiliar environments.
Now, he’s re-signed with a team for the first time in his career and aims to use his experiences to lead the new-look Fraser Valley Bandits as their only returning player for the 2020 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season.
Born in Abbotsford, B.C., basketball has taken Klassen all around the globe. After punctuating his high school career at Yale Secondary School with a provincial championship in 2010 and a nod as the Triple A tournament’s most valuable player, Klassen moved stateside to play at Point Loma Nazarene University (a small National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics program) in San Diego, Calif. At Point Loma, Klassen starred as a multi-sport athlete and excelled at both basketball and track and field.
Ultimately, basketball prevailed and Klassen looked to Europe to embark on his pro career. By 2015, he started building his professional resume and has played in leagues in Romania, England, Turkey and Ukraine.
Each season he adjusted to new atmospheres, teammates, coaches, languages and playing styles.
“Basketball is obviously a universal language. There's a lot of different ways you can play the game and there's a lot of different ways you can adapt,” Klassen said. “I like the challenge of going to a new country, playing with a different ball and trying to beat a team that has a totally different strategy than my team.”
The inaugural season of the CEBL presented another new and challenging environment for Klassen, who first signed with the Bandits in 2019 prior to re-signing this past March for the 2020 campaign. For the first time in a decade, he brought his game back to Canada to not only a new team but also a new league.
“There were so many questions coming into it all,” Klassen said. “It brought something new and fresh and exciting to the (Fraser) Valley – the fact that pro basketball is back and there’s just a lot of potential.”
In the first season, the Bandits finished last in the league, missing out on the CEBL’s playoff format, known as Championship Weekend. Individually, Klassen had a different story.
He finished as the league’s top passer, averaging 7.2 assists per game. He also set a record for the most assists in one game with 15 and earned a nod as a CEBL second team all-star
The Bandits have since refreshed their roster and coaching staff – keeping Klassen as the sole returnee. In addition to a new team, the 2020 season poses some unforeseen challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic. As an alternative to a regular season of play, the Bandits will travel to St. Catharines, Ont., to compete at the CEBL Summer Series, a two-week tournament that will feature no fans in venue at the Meridian Centre.
So, while Klassen is coming back to a team he knows, he once again finds himself needing to adapt to a new environment. He hopes that his experiences in Europe will help him learn on the fly with a new cast of teammates and coaches.
“I’ve played for so many different teams and so many different coaches. I've really had to adapt quickly,” Klassen said. “I'm going to learn my personnel and I'm going to hopefully just make everyone better around me and try and make the game easier for everybody else.”
Throughout his travels across Europe, there has always been a constant for Klassen: Setting a positive precedent for Abbotsford’s basketball community. The opportunity to influence the next generation of young basketball players and student-athletes was a deciding factor for Klassen when it came time to re-sign.
“I just felt like I wasn't moving – I was going to come back here and try to make a positive impact again,” Klassen said of his decision to suit up for the Bandits again in 2020.
Off the court, he aspires to teach young athletes about basketball and the power of sport through various community programs including his Abby Made basketball camp and player consultation service, CourtVision.
In addition to his game, his leadership qualities were another reason new Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius decided to sign him back to the team, noting Klassen as the “ultimate role model for young athletes in the Fraser Valley” in a news release.
CourtVision partner Bret Macdonald shared the same views about Klassen.
“He's someone who puts the team first. It sounds cliché, but it's not with him. Marek puts the person before the player always and he's willing to ask questions – he’s willing to do the ‘quote-unquote’ grunt work. There's no task too big or too small for him,” Macdonald said.
“I think for a young aspiring kid to watch the Bandits and then also maybe be part of something like CourtVision while also watching Marek makes it something that’s realistic for kids to dream big.”
No matter where or who he plays with, Klassen’s goal stays the same and this season is no different. Win.
“It’s a totally different team, a totally different vibe and I think that we got the pieces (that) could take us all the way to the top,” he said.
“The Bandits are here to win this thing.”
Summer Series action begins on July 25, with the Bandits playing their first game on July 26 against the Edmonton Stingers. All games will be available on CBC Sports’ live-stream, with the Bandits’ matchup against the Hamilton Honey Badgers on Saturday, Aug. 1 set to be available on CBC TV as a national broadcast.
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Vancouver emerged victorious over Montréal in a battle between the best of both conferences on Saturday (June 14) at Langley Events Centre. The Bandits stormed back from a 20-point deficit in the first half to earn their third straight victory. A timely 15-0 run in the fourth quarter propelled the Bandits to the comeback, featuring clutch shooting from Curtis Hollis, along with inside finishing from Mitch Creek and Shamar Givance. Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said certain possessions in the third quarter set the tone for the comeback. “We just kept talking about chipping away and we talked a lot about the power of one possession and how it can change a game,” Julius said. Creek paced the Bandits’ attack with a game-high 30 points to go along with seven rebounds. Hollis added 18 points, including the game-winner. “I knew we had to get one more bucket. I knew the guys were helping off me all game, which I really don't know why, but I saw he helped off me, and Shamar made a great pass and I just had to make a shot,” Hollis said. James Karnik and Corey Davis Jr. also made their season debuts for Vancouver, adding nine points each. Julius said incorporating new faces mid-season can be a challenge. “The chemistry of a locker room is fragile. You build your offence around a particular group, you build your defense around a particular group, and when certain pieces change, it can affect your scheme. And so, yeah, you have to tweak things all week,” Julius said. Meanwhile, Montréal guard Tavian Dunn-Martin proved difficult to stop despite second-half struggles as a team. He netted 20 points with four threes on eight-of-13 shooting overall. “We settled for too many threes [in the second half]. We didn't attack the basket … didn't get to the line. Then they got out in transition and made shots, and we didn't,” Dunn-Martin said. Montréal seized control early on, shooting 70 per cent from the field in the first quarter and forcing the Bandits into catch-up mode. Alliance head coach Jermaine Small said his squad was outrebounded in the second half but expects to get better from the loss. “You have to understand that you've got to play a 40-minute game. We got off to a really good start [and] obviously we tapered off a little bit. But it's just a good lesson … basketball is a long game, so I'm not worried about it,” Small said. Montréal began the game on a 14-4 run that culminated in back-to-back threes from Anthony Walker and Quincy Guerrier. Creek showed off his rebounding ability on the offensive glass, keeping the Bandits in the contest with three putbacks. However, the Alliance offence was on fire in the opening 10 minutes. Montréal closed the quarter on a 13-3 run, highlighted by a pair of Michael Diggins Jr. slams and a deep trifecta from Dunn-Martin, to take a 32-15 lead into the second. Guerrier connected on a free throw and a spin layup to extend Montréal’s lead to 20 early in the second before Vancouver went on a quick run fueled by transition finishes to narrow the gap. However, the Alliance stayed hot with another deep triple from Dunn-Martin and a corner three from former Bandit Malcolm Duvivier. The red-hot Montréal offence cooled off to end the half and Vancouver took advantage, closing the deficit to single digits by halftime at 48-41 with a 9-2 run. The third quarter turned into a defensive battle, with neither team scoring more than 15 points. The Bandits fought back to tie the game for the first time since the opening tip, powered by an 11-2 run in which the Alliance didn’t connect on a field goal. However, long-range shooting put Montréal back in front with back-to-back threes from Guerrier and Dunn-Martin. The Alliance carried a 62-56 advantage into the fourth quarter. Dunn-Martin continued to showcase his range with another deep three early in the fourth to bring the Alliance lead back to double-digits. But the Bandits demonstrated their resilience with a massive 15-0 run that put the home squad in front for the first time all game. Alain Louis made some clutch trifectas ahead of the final stretch, but a Creek and-one put Vancouver ahead 80-77 with an 89-point Target Score. After Guerrier kicked off scoring in Target Score Time with a transition slam, Davis Jr. buried a three, Creek got the hoop and the harm, and Givance scored in transition to put Vancouver one point away from victory. Hollis connected on a catch-and-shoot from the wing to complete the comeback and improve the Bandits’ record to 8-1. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600585
Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Montreal Alliance on June 14th, 2025.
The Vancouver Bandits have announced today the following roster updates in advance of its Saturday, June 14 game at home against the Montréal Alliance at 7:00 p.m. PT: G Corey Davis Jr. has been added to Club's active roster and will be available for tonight's game. F James Karnik has been removed the the Club's Suspended List and added to Club's active roster and will be available for tonight's game. F Tyrese Samuel has been placed on the Club's Suspended List in order for him to participate in potential NBA team workouts and Summer League opportunities; he will return to the club at the conclusion of his commitments. G Izaiah Brockington has been placed on the Club's Suspended List in order for him to participate in potential NBA team workouts and Summer League opportunities; he will return to the club at the conclusion of his commitments. G Tristan Jass (lower body) is ruled out for today's game.
The Vancouver Bandits announced Thursday that the club has signed 6’1” American guard Corey Davis Jr. No stranger to the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), Davis Jr. was a member of the Calgary Surge during the 2024 season where he set the league record for most assists in a single season with 126 helpers. Appearing and starting in 19 regular season games and three playoff games, he averaged 13.4 points, 6.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals through 33.1 minutes played. He finished the season with three consecutive, 20+ point performances in the postseason, leading the Surge from the Play-In round to the CEBL Western Conference Final. Davis Jr. most recently played professionally with Vanoli Cremona, the highest-tier level of Italy’s basketball league system, where he appeared in 30 games and averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 29.8 minutes of action per game during the 2024-25 season. His pro career also includes stops in Spain, Montenegro, France, Turkey and a stint with the Washington Wizards during the 2019 NBA Summer League. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to be back in the CEBL and can’t wait to get started with the Bandits. I’m looking forward to working with coach Kyle and the team, and building on the success that the Bandits have had so far this season,” said Davis Jr. A member of the University of Houston’s men’s basketball team for two seasons from 2017 to 2019, Davis Jr. was a unanimous First Team All-American Athletic Conference selection in 2019. Davis Jr. also helped the Cougars advance to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a berth in the 2019 Sweet 16. Davis Jr. will be on the active roster for the Vancouver Bandits game Saturday evening at home when the club hosts the visiting Montréal Alliance at Langley Events Centre. In a corresponding move, the club has placed guard Izaiah Brockington on its Suspended List in order to accommodate Davis Jr.'s addition while adhering to CEBL roster rules, which limit clubs to four Import players on active rosters.
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