LANGLEY, B.C. , May 14, 2023 – The Vancouver Bandits announced Sunday its 2023 training camp roster ahead of the club’s upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League ( CEBL ) season at Langley Events Centre (LEC). Vancouver’s roster features a total of 14 athletes; including six Canadian veterans, four Americans, one non-American overseas import and three U SPORTS development athletes. Media availability to attend Bandits training camp has been scheduled for Friday, May 19 at 10:30 a.m. at LEC. Journalists interested in attending are kindly asked to RSVP to Andrew Savory ( asavory@thebandits.ca ) to request credentials. Accreditation will be required. The group will be led by head coach and general manager Kyle Julius, who is returning to the CEBL sidelines for the first time since he led BC’s professional basketball team to the brink of championship glory in 2020 when the Bandits fell to the Edmonton Stingers in the Summer Series finals. “We are all really excited about this year's training camp roster. The goal is to build a team the province of British Columbia can be proud of. We are committed to competitive greatness, toughness and playing together,” Julius said.

2022 team all-star and leading scorer Shane Gibson has re-signed for second consecutive season with BC’s professional basketball team.

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday the 2022 All-CEBL First, Second, and All-Canadian Teams as determined by votes cast by the league’s coaches, general managers, broadcasters, and internal media personnel. The All-CEBL First Team is as follows: Khalil Ahmad, Niagara River Lions Tony Carr, Saskatchewan Rattlers Jalen Harris, Scarborough Shooting Stars Caleb Agada Hamilton Honey Badgers Isiaha Mike, Scarborough Shooting Stars Khalil Ahmad averaged a league-high 21.7 points, team-high 4.6 assists, and 1.9 steals while shooting 45 percent from the field on his way to earning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) honours at the 2022 CEBL Awards. Ahmad also added to his awards tally as he won the Clutch Player of the Year award after scoring a league record 10 of the 13 Elam Enders for Niagara during the 2022 season. 2022 CEBL MVP runner-up, Tony Carr averaged a team-high 19.7 points and 6.6 assists per game for Saskatchewan and was the only player in the league to register a triple-double in the 2022 regular season. 2022 Canadian Player of the Year Caleb Agada averaged 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals in 19 games while ranking third in the league in assists. Jalen Harris averaged a league third-best 20.0 points, team-high 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game for Scarborough, while his teammate Isiaha Mike shot a league best 43.9 percent from three-point range while averaging 13.6 points a game. The All-CEBL Second Team is comprised of: Shane Gibson, Fraser Valley Bandits Cat Barber, Guelph Nighthawks Brandon Sampson, Newfoundland Growlers Christian Vital, Hamilton Honey Badgers Jordan Baker, Edmonton Stingers Cat Barber led the Guelph Nighthawks in both scoring average (19.6) and assists average (5.0) to earn All-CEBL Second Team honours for a second year in a row. Fraser Valley guard Shane Gibson averaged a team high 18.6 points and ranked third in the league for three-pointers made (59). Brandon Sampson ranked second in the league for points per game (20.5) and registered a CEBL record for most points scored (42) in a game against the Ottawa BlackJacks on July 5. CEBL Championship Final MVP Christian Vital led his team in scoring average (17.4 points) and steals average (2.1) as Hamilton secured their first-ever CEBL championship title. Edmonton forward Jordan Baker led the league in rebounds (9.5 per game) and also led his team in assists (4.7 per game) and steals (1.7 per game). Baker has now earned All-CEBL first or second team honours for an unprecedented fourth year in a row. The 2022 CEBL All-Canadian Team for includes: Caleb Agada, Hamilton Honey Badgers Isiaha Mike, Scarborough Shooting Stars Jordan Baker, Edmonton Stingers Thomas Kennedy, Fraser Valley Bandits A.J. Lawson, Guelph Nighthawks Joining Agada (Burlington, Ont.), Mike (Scarborough, Ont.) and Baker (Edmonton, AB) are Fraser Valley forward Thomas Kennedy (Windsor, Ont.) and Guelph guard A.J. Lawson (Brampton, Ont.) on the 2022 All-Canadian Team. Kennedy led his team in rebounds per game (8.3) and field goal percentage (63.6%) before earning 2022 CEBL U SPORTS Player of the Year honours. He is currently representing the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team at the 2022 FIBA Americup along with 11 other athletes with CEBL experience. Lawson played in 10 games for Guelph averaging 16.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists this season. The Minnesota Timberwolves signed Lawson to a two-way contract on July 28 making him the fourth to have played with a CEBL team and later signed to an NBA two-way contract after Canadian, Lindell Wigginton of the Hamilton Honey Badgers who signed with the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, Xavier Sneed of the Niagara River Lions with the Utah Jazz, and three-time CEBL Player of The Year, Xavier Moon of the Edmonton Stingers signed with the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this year. The CEBL wrapped up its fourth season earlier in August with the Hamilton Honey Badgers becoming the 2022 CEBL champions. The league launched in 2018 with six teams in four provinces and despite the pandemic it has expanded to 10 teams in six provinces, making it the largest pro sports league in Canada with further expansion in the planning stages. The CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 71 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. 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. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.