FRASER VALLEY BANDITS RE-SIGN KYLE JULIUS FOR 2022 CEBL SEASON
Bandits Staff • October 7, 2021
LANGLEY, B.C., October 7, 2021 – The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Thursday that the club has re-signed general manager Kyle Julius for the team’s upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season at Langley Events Centre (LEC).
The 2022 CEBL campaign will be Julius’ third season at the helm as general manager of the Bandits. Under Julius’ direction, the Bandits earned trips to the CEBL finals and semifinals in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
“It's a genuine privilege to be part of the Fraser Valley Bandits organization. We are committed to competitive greatness and giving our athletes a great summer experience. I believe we can improve upon our overall performance last summer and grow from what we learned. We were one possession away from being in the championship game for a second year in a row. We understand the process and steps required to build upon that,” Julius said.
“We have proven to be a top team in the CEBL and I am excited for the opportunity to work towards achieving our high standards and expectations. We are looking forward to building another team centered around our values, driven by our passion and focused on the growth and development of our players.”
During the CEBL offseason, Julius serves as head coach and general manager of the Formosa Dreamers, a Taiwan-based professional basketball team in the P.LEAGUE+. The Dreamers advanced to the P.LEAGUE+ finals in 2020-21, ultimately falling to the Fubon Braves.
Recent Bandits big man and 2021 CEBL defensive player of the year Brandon Gilbeck is currently signed by Formosa for the upcoming P.LEAGUE+ season and will continue his development under Julius’ instruction as one of the leading forwards playing international basketball this winter. Julius joined the Dreamers in 2019 after three successful seasons with the Saigon Heat and a championship campaign with the London Lightning in 2016-17. Julius left the Heat as the all-time winningest coach in team history.
“I’m excited to welcome Kyle back for another season with the Bandits. He has proven to be adept in his ability to construct a roster of high-level professionals who compete for one another and are dedicated members of the community that are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes in our collective pursuit of a CEBL championship,” said Bandits president Dylan Kular.
Julius also served as Fraser Valley’s head coach at the CEBL Summer Series in 2020 and instilled a tenacious work ethic within the roster that has permeated throughout the club’s basketball operations department since his original hire in December 2019. Despite falling to Edmonton in the CEBL championship game in 2020, Fraser Valley emerged as a force to be reckoned with, leading the CEBL in point differential (+7) and placing second in points (87.7) and steals per game (10).
Fast forward to the 2021 CEBL campaign and the Bandits once again proved that the team’s uptempo offensive style of play and blue-collar defensive mindset is an excellent combination for providing fans with a riveting quality of basketball that is as exciting to watch as it is successful on the court.
The Bandits were one of the league’s top teams, finishing the regular season with a 5-2 record at home, which was punctuated by a 104-84 quarterfinal playoff victory in front of a sold-out crowd at Abbotsford Centre on August 15.
Fraser Valley ultimately fell 84-82 in a climactic semifinal against Niagara at Championship Weekend in Edmonton, but the club performed strongly across several statistical categories during the regular season. Notable team statistics include first in blocks per game (3.9), total rebounds per game (43.8), second in points per game (85.9), total point differential (+14) and offensive rebounds per game (13.9), as well as third in points against per game (84.9).
Julius will serve solely as the team’s general manager in 2022 and will be tasked with assembling a roster designed to further Fraser Valley’s high-octane style of play and to continue building a championship culture. Julius’ rapport with Canadian and international players is well documented thanks to his dedication to player development and personable approach to recruitment. During his tenure with the Bandits, Olu Ashaolu, Alex Campbell, Brandon Gilbeck and Jahenns Manigat have all earned all-CEBL second team honours.
This past CEBL season, Campbell and Bandits running mate Shaquille Keith were both named to the all-CEBL Canadian team, with Campbell also finishing as the league’s leader in three-pointers made (52).
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The CEBL’s fourth season is set to start in May 2022. A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. CEBL players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August.
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About the Fraser Valley Bandits:
The Fraser Valley Bandits are British Columbia’s professional basketball team. As the westernmost club in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Bandits offer an entertainment experience that combines a fast-paced game day atmosphere with a presentation of some of Canada’s top professional athletes within a world-class venue at Langley Events Centre (LEC). Head to thebandits.ca
for more information.
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HAIDA GWAII, BC - October 6, 2026 - This past weekend, Vancouver Bandits, BC’s professional basketball team, and the Bandits Community Foundation hosted a series of youth basketball clinics on Haida Gwaii, continuing its ongoing series of community visits across the province in partnership with the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council (I∙SPARC). The community visits and youth camps on Haida Gwaii were also made possible through the generous support of Langara Island Lodge and Skidegate Band Council. Led by Bandits Team President Dylan Kular and Community Manager Pavan Kalair, local youth athletes aged 10 to 17 from across Haida Gwaii participated in free-of-charge workshops and basketball camps, furthering the Bandits Community Foundation’s goal of bringing more basketball to more people across the province. "Haida Gwaii has an incredible passion for basketball, and it was an honour for our staff to spend time on the court with so many talented young athletes," said Vancouver Bandits Team President Dylan Kular. "Our partnership with I·SPARC through the Indigenous Basketball Collective is about building lasting relationships with communities across the province and making sure every young player has access to the game. We are grateful to Langara Island Lodge, the Skidegate Band Council and everyone in Old Massett, Masset and Skidegate who welcomed us, and we cannot wait to come back." “Programs like this show what is possible when partners come together for Indigenous youth,” said I·SPARC’s Chief Executive Officer Rick Brant. “We are proud to work with the Vancouver Bandits to bring high-quality basketball coaching to Haida Gwaii, where the game is so deeply loved." Bandits staff led PHE classes with students at Chief Matthews School in Old Massett, and ran skill development clinics for local youth athletes aged 13 to 17 across three communities at Kwiiyaans Community Hall (Old Massett), Daaxiigan Sk’adáa Née School (Masset) and George Brown Recreation Centre (Skidegate). “We are grateful for the opportunity for the Vancouver Bandits and I·SPARC to come in and work with our youth,” said Trevor Russ, head coach of the Old Massett Raiders boys basketball team. “Basketball plays a big role for our youth in Masset, and the Bandits coming to town provides an opportunity for them to work with some high-level coaches at the professional level. Our youth are very happy to have this opportunity.” “To be able to have the Vancouver Bandits come to Skidegate and Haida Gwaii is very important,” said Desi Collinson, Recreation Coordinator and elected representative to the Council of the Haida Nation. “Basketball means a lot to Haida Gwaii; it brings excitement, hope and inspiration to our communities. Organizations like the Bandits and I·SPARC give us different insights and outlooks that our young athletes have not experienced before, and we are happy to have them here to uplift our youth.” The camps are part of the Indigenous Basketball Collective, representing the ongoing collaboration between I∙SPARC and the Vancouver Bandits. Established in 2023, previous community visits hosted through the Collective since its inception include Ahousaht, Bella Coola (Nuxalk First Nation), Kitimat (Haisla Nation), Nanaimo (Snuneymuxw First Nation), Victoria, West Vancouver and Williams Lake with future youth camps and coaching seminars currently being planned for 2027.
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