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A few friendly bounces at the rim made all the difference for the Calgary Surge in a tense battle against rival Vancouver on Friday night (July 25). With the game on the line in Target Score Time at WinSport Events Centre, Calgary guard Evan Gilyard Jr. launched a deep three that rattled in after a few tense moments. It was Gilyard’s first triple of the game, but it lifted the Surge past the Bandits 98-96. The Surge have now swept the regular season series against the top-ranked Bandits, with both teams already locked into playoff spots in the Western Conference. The intensity of Friday’s contest mimicked a postseason showdown. Calgary head coach Kaleb Canales said the group executed the game plan on both ends of the floor with togetherness and championship poise. “We felt we had a great week of practice. We knew this was a heavyweight fight. We have a lot of respect for that team but I love our team and I love our squad and I love where we’re at,” Canales said. Both teams saw the return of NBA Summer League talent, with Vancouver’s Tyrese Samuel and Calgary’s Jameer Nelson Jr. making an impact after their time in Las Vegas. Nelson Jr. netted 21 points, including 15 in the first half, while tallying six rebounds, six assists and four steals. “[Jameer] was playing both ends at an … elite level. We absolutely love him and he was making plays when it was time to make plays,” Canales said. Sean Miller-Moore and Greg Brown III also had standout performances in the win. Miller-Moore dropped a game-high 27 points and hauled in eight rebounds, while Brown III notched a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double. Meanwhile, Samuel finished with a team-high 26 points for Vancouver on 12-15 shooting. He said he could’ve done better on the boards, but was happy with his return to the lineup overall. “It feels good to be back out there with the guys. Obviously, today wasn't the result we wanted but we're just gonna go back to the drawing board and just be ready for the playoffs,” Samuel said. Aussie big man Mitch Creek was also a force in the frontcourt with 25 points and 13 rebounds in the loss, while Kyle Mangas added 12 off the bench in his second game back from NBA Summer League. After three consecutive games with at least 15 threes, the Bandits cooled down on Friday with eight from long range at a 29 per cent clip. Calgary also capitalized on 18 Vancouver turnovers with 25 points. “Some turnovers and giving them some easy offensive rebounds I think was part of the problem for sure,” Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said. The range of talent for both squads was on full display in the early stages of the game. The Bandits and Surge each started hot before the pace slowed. A catch-and-shoot triple from Corey Davis Jr. gave the Bandits their first lead at 16-14, and they stayed ahead 25-22 after 10 minutes. Vancouver extended its lead to nine in the second quarter following inside finishes from Creek, Zach Copeland, Samuel and a three from Davis Jr. However, Nelson Jr. willed the Surge back into the game with 11 points in the quarter. He showed off his complete game as well, stealing the rock on defence before dishing to Brown III in transition for a massive slam. After trailing for the entire second quarter, Calgary tied it up heading into the locker room with a buzzer-beating putback from Javonté Brown. Miller-Moore regained the lead for the Surge to kick off the third quarter with a transition dunk. Calgary locked in defensively for the remainder of the frame, limiting the high-powered Bandits' offence to just 18 points. Brown III added to his highlight reel late in the quarter, spinning for a left-handed dunk on Kur Jongkuch that put him on the free throw line as well. Down four points entering the final quarter, Creek and Samuel went to work inside for Vancouver. The frontcourt duo combined for 17 points before Target Score Time to knot the game at 87, but Brown III finished a putback to give Calgary a two-point advantage heading into the final stretch. The bigs continued to duel in Target Score Time, with Samuel opening the scoring before Brown III showed his versatility, connecting on back-to-back threes and rejecting Creek on the other end. Calgary missed multiple shots for the win, and Samuel added another layup before fouling out. A putback from Creek vaulted Vancouver back in front at 96-95, putting both teams a bucket away from victory. On the following possession, Gilyard did his best Kawhi Leonard impression to win the game with a deep three that needed multiple bounces before dropping. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600650

The Vancouver Bandits have announced today the following roster update in advance of its Friday, July 25 away game against the Calgary Surge at 7:00 p.m. PT: F Tyrese Samuel has been removed from the Suspended List and added to the Club's active roster; he will be available for tonight's game. G Izaiah Brockington and G Tristan Jass remain on the Club's Suspended List.

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday the extension of Kal Tire’s national partnership through the 2027 season, which will see the Official Tire Expert of the CEBL expand its rights to become the presenting partner of the league’s Western Conference and Western Conference Playoffs. The expansion of Kal Tire’s partnership with the CEBL reinforces one of Canada’s largest independent tire retailer’s support of Canadian basketball and further ingrains its commitment to the CEBL’s five Western Conference teams. As part of this landmark partnership, Kal Tire and its 197 locations in Western Canada will support the upcoming Western Conference Playoffs through an enhanced fan experience and brand campaign. “Kal Tire is an incredible partner of the CEBL, and we’re proud to see their commitment grow with the presenting rights to our Western Conference,” said Mike Morreale, Commissioner and Co-Founder of the CEBL. “Their ongoing support strengthens our connection and fuels the passion of basketball fans across Canada, especially those cheering on our Western teams.” “We’re thrilled to deepen our partnership with the CEBL as the presenting partner of the Western Conference,” said Jamie Shillingford, Kal Tire’s Marketing Manager, Stores. “Basketball is growing rapidly across Canada, and this partnership allows us to connect with fans in a meaningful way — especially in the communities where our team members live and work. We’re proud to support a league that champions Canadian talent and brings such incredible energy to the court and communities.” Fans can catch the remainder of the CEBL’s 2025 regular season and the race for playoff positioning in the Western Conference presented by Kal Tire, live in Canada on TSN, CEBL+, and TSN+, and in the United States on NLSE. The Western Conference Playoffs presented by Kal Tire begin Thursday, August 14, with the Play-In Game, followed by the Semifinal on Saturday, August 16, where the second-place team will host the Play-In winner. The 2025 CEBL Playoffs will culminate at Championship Weekend (CW25), hosted in Winnipeg from August 22–24. For ticket information for all CEBL games, visit cebl.ca/tickets and cebl.ca/cw25/tickets .

The Vancouver Bandits announced that the club has mutually agreed to release G Curtis Hollis. A 6-foot-6 guard from Hutchinson College, Hollis joined the Bandits for the 2025 CEBL season while recovering from a lower body injury sustained playing overseas. This transaction will allow Hollis to fully recover for the upcoming 2025-26 overseas basketball season. The Bandits wish Hollis all the best in his recovery and future basketball endeavours. Hollis suited up in 14 games for the Bandits during the 2025 CEBL season, including three starts, and averaged 11.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He made his league debut during the 2024 season, appearing in 20 career CEBL games for both the Bandits and Montreal Alliance. Vancouver’s next game is Friday, July 25 on the road against the Calgary Surge. The Bandits return home to host the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Sunday, August 3. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT. at Langley Events Centre. Single game tickets are available at this link .

Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Edmonton Stingers on July 20th, 2025.

The Vancouver Bandits have announced today the following roster update in advance of its Sunday, July 20 home game against the Edmonton Stingers at 5:00 p.m. PT: G Kyle Mangas has been removed from the Suspended List and added to the Club's active roster; he will be available for tonight's game.

The Vancouver Bandits downed the Edmonton Stingers 111-99 in a battle between two of the CEBL’s hottest teams at Langley Events Centre on Sunday (July 20). Vancouver snapped Edmonton’s seven-game win streak and extended its own to four games with the victory. Scorching hot three-point shooting continued to make the difference for the Bandits. The home team connected on 17 threes in the win, their third consecutive game hitting at least 15. Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius attributed the strong stretch of shooting to the team’s ability to generate open looks. “We've been really moving the ball well – really unselfish. The guys have confidence in each other,” Julius said. The ball movement yielded 29 assists on Vancouver’s 40 field goals on Sunday. Duane Notice led the charge for Vancouver with 23 points in the win. With varying minutes throughout the season, Notice made the most of his opportunities in the past several games. “I always try to stay ready. I mean it's cliché, but it's the truth. There's games where I don't play, there's games where I play the whole game, [and] there's games where I play spot minutes,” Notice said. “So I just try to approach the game with the same mentality every time, which is ‘How can I impact the game and winning on both ends of the court?’” Bandits guard Corey Davis Jr. contributed 20 points and eight assists to the effort, while Mitch Creek returned to the lineup with 19 points. Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker said the loss is a good wake-up call heading into the final six games. “The details matter and we've got to play four quarters of basketball,” Baker said. Stingers’ guard Sean East II was held in check for the bulk of the contest but finished strong with 10 points in Target Score Time, ending the night with 20. Scottie Lindsey and Nick Hornsby each added 19 points for the Stingers as well. Hornsby said the Stingers just have to move on to their next matchup against Winnipeg. “We did try to execute what we needed to execute. And it’s just part of basketball – you're not going to win every game. You're not going to win 100 in a row. We're blessed to be able to win seven,” Hornsby said. Meanwhile, Keon Ambrose-Hylton made history for the Stingers in the loss. The big man broke his coach’s franchise record for rebounds in a single game with 18 on the night. “It's great for him – he did a great job for us on both ends, cleaning the glass. [Vancouver] only having four offensive rebounds is a testament to what he was doing down there. But yeah, I mean, small consolation,” Baker said. Both offences were operating efficiently to start the game. After knocking down 17 threes on Friday, the Bandits carried over the hot shooting into Sunday. Davis Jr. and Notice both buried a pair of triples to earn an early lead for Vancouver. Davis Jr. kept hitting shots from beyond the arc to begin the second quarter, helping to extend the lead to as high as 15. However, the Stingers gained some momentum with a 6-0 run to close the half, cutting the deficit to nine points after 20 minutes. Vancouver didn’t cool down from long range in the third quarter. After Hornsby hit from deep to start the frame, the Bandits went on a 14-2 run to force a Baker timeout, highlighted by a Notice triple from almost half court. Lindsey and Hornsby kept the Stingers offence afloat during the quarter, but the Bandits still entered the fourth with an 84-69 advantage. Returning from NBA Summer League, Kyle Mangas joined the three-point frenzy early in the fourth before Creek and Sam Maillet connected with another pair to head into Target Score Time with a 101-82 lead. Edmonton kept fighting with a 9-1 run to begin Target Score Time, prompting a Julius timeout. However, Creek helped to close out the game with a long two from the wing and a transition layup to win it. The Stingers and Bandits meet again on Aug. 1 at Edmonton Expo Centre. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600661

Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on July 18th, 2025.