Learning from Defeat: How George Bergen Built a Basketball Powerhouse
By Bandits Contributing Writer: Grant Vassos • June 3, 2021
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Langley Times (Black Press)
Before he became one of only two individuals to win the B.C. provincial high school championship at the highest level as a player and coach, George Bergen had to learn what it felt like to lose first.
In his Grade 11 year at MEI Secondary, Bergen and the Eagles were upset by the Oak Bay Bays at the 1969 AA senior boys’ provincial tournament in double overtime. The near taste of victory Bergen experienced that game would appear again 43 years later as a head coach. That year, Bergen's Walnut Grove Gators lost to the Terry Fox Ravens in the final seconds of the AAA championship game. Then once again in the 2016 AAAA semi-finals by the talons of the Kelowna Owls.
With each of those three losses, he made sure to come away with a lesson. Each of the following three seasons, Bergen and his team went on to win the provincial title.
The legendary retired Gators head coach is reminded of those lessons through one of his quotes. Initially coined by Winston Churchill but tweaked to his liking.
"Success is never final, and failure is never fatal," Bergen said. "It is the courage to compete on every play that matters."
Bergen's desire to coach began at MEI when his head coach asked him to help with a Grade 7 boys basketball team at South Poplar Traditional Elementary. He resisted accepting it at first but agreed to take on the responsibility with another teammate.
Initially, Bergen thought of it as another way for his coach to recruit young players to come to the high school. But he also remembers his coach as a smart man who taught him how to be a leader, and allowed him to dip his toe into coaching.
"I didn't really have a clue what I was doing. But because we were good high school players and actually won a provincial championship, the kids looked up to us. So, no matter what we did, we could do no wrong," Bergen said with a laugh.
Bergen went on to coach a local Grade 8 team while attending the University of Manitoba, before arriving at Walnut Grove Secondary in 1991 after leaving his previous position as a teacher and coach at Aldergrove Community Secondary.
Entering his first season, the Gators had only eight players on the roster. Four of which were offered to him after he reached out to the high school's rugby coach to lend him players. In the team's inaugural season, the Gators mounted only one win to go along with 32 losses, with players – mainly from the rugby side – fouling out of almost every game.
"I wanted to teach those players to compete for every single inch of ground," Bergen said. "Every single play that happened, we were going to try to compete."
Competition was Bergen's favourite word when it came to how he ran his teams. Every day, he expected his players to compete in practice. An emphasis was placed on player and ball movement, team chemistry, strength and conditioning, accountability, and keeping the style of play simple.
They travelled frequently to the U.S. for tournaments and became regulars at Gonzaga University's Men's Basketball Team Camps held in June. While Bergen's teams often lost by a significant margin the first few games, he remembers those trips as a turning point in making his players more competitive when they returned home. Another step towards Bergen’s long-term plan to build the culture of excellence he envisioned when he first came to Walnut Grove.
More importantly, they were going to have fun doing it. Bergen remembers one practice where he instructed his players to race around the four-hundred-meter track outside the school. The winner would receive a jug of chocolate milk. Among those players was Jadon Cohee, the Gators' talented star point guard who eventually went on to play for Team Canada.
"I didn't think Jadon Cohee would win, but he dominated," Bergen said.
His teams also featured vital leaders such as De'Sean Monsanto, the 2012 provincial tournament's top defensive player, and who Bergen believed could have also been a safety in football. As well as Ethan McKean and Charles Luu, whom Bergen recalls making "some of the smartest plays I've seen in basketball."
His two sons, Jared and Paul, grew up to be members of competitive teams at Walnut Grove under the tutelage of Bergen. Jared went on to play two years for Cascades men’s basketball coach Pat Lee at the University of Fraser Valley before transitioning into a job in forestry. During those seven years, he also rejoined his alma-mater Gators to split time as an assistant coach for his father.
Bergen remembers him as a pillar of strength: with the voice and experience to connect with his players and their tendencies and who could challenge them to embrace what was needed to become better. Today, Jared works as a Vancouver firefighter.
“He had a really good understanding of my mind . . . and he’d always totally understand what I was trying to do, and he’d explain it to the players because, in the heat of the battle, there’s a lot of things to take care of as a coach,” Bergen said.
The following years had players like Ty Rowell, who possessed an unrivaled work ethic when it came to his craft. And James Woods, a terrific leader and a winner who understood the identity Bergen wanted his teams to have.
Bergen retired from head coaching in June of 2017, a few months before Woods was set to enter his Grade 12 year. Looking back, Bergen thinks it would have been fun to coach Woods' final season – whose heart and skill more than made up for his small frame.
"He never really was all that big in high school. I measured him at five-ten, and he always wanted me to list him at six feet,” Bergen said. “But he was five-ten.”
Nowadays, Bergen stays involved in the B.C. basketball community by consulting with coaches interested in learning from him. He took up officiating games and found enjoyment behind the position that made him go "crazy always trying to get the right call" when he was behind the bench. In addition to volunteering with the Gators’ basketball team, the annual provincial tournament and being a part of the all-star committee, Bergen also works as a Teacher on Call (TOC).
While he remained a committed father throughout his career, Bergen’s grateful for the extra time he’s been able to spend with his family and six grandkids after devoting so much time to his work. There’s a part of him that still believes he could have kept coaching until he was 70.
"There's something so satisfying about (coaching) that it's very difficult to just drop it and let it go. Even the schools that I go to as a TOC now, I say, 'Hey, how come you're not playing basketball? You're in Grade 8. You should be out there.' And usually, the kid will say something like, 'Oh, I'm no good at it.' And I go, 'I don't believe that. I think you could be good at it. It's my way of recruiting kids, and I've always done that," Bergen said.
Even after a lifetime of mentoring high school players, the passionate coach inside of him lingers on proudly the same way it did for 26 years at Walnut Grove. As a builder and as a teacher, passing on the lessons he learned never to forget.
LATEST NEWS
Seven players who have previously suited up for the Vancouver Bandits, including five from the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season, have been named to NBA G League training camp rosters ahead of the start of the 2026-27 season on November 6, 2026. The NBA G League serves as the NBA’s official minor league and features 31 teams, with 30 clubs having one-to-one affiliations with NBA franchises. Surrey, B.C.’s James Karnik will join the Portland Trail Blazers’ affiliate, Rip City Remix. Karnik has participated in 36 regular season games across four seasons dating back to 2022, including four games in 2026. This marks the first time that he has been named to an NBA G League training camp squad. Jaelen House, a former NBA G League All-Star who played in 10 games for the Bandits during the 2026 season, will be competing for a roster spot on the Utah Jazz’s affiliate, Salt Lake City Stars. He set the Bandits’ single-game scoring record, recording 42 points against the Winnipeg Sea Bears on June 18, 2026. The Charlotte Hornets’ affiliate and defending NBA G League champion, Greensboro Swarm, will feature Jarkel Joiner. Joiner played 21 games for the Bandits in 2026, leading the team in points per game (17.8), before being named to the Hornets’ training camp roster and logging minutes in four NBA preseason games. Joining Joiner on the Swarm is Kyle Mangas, who appeared in 16 games with 14 starts for the Bandits during the 2025 season. John Knight III, who logged 18 games for the Bandits in 2026, joins the Houston Rockets’ affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, a club he has played for since 2023. D’Andre Davis, who appeared in three games for the Bandits in 2026, looks to secure a roster spot with the Boston Celtics’ affiliate, Maine Celtics. A member of the 2023 Bandits roster, Georgian-born forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili will take the court with the Atlanta Hawks’ affiliate, College Park Skyhawks. The opening night rosters for all 32 NBA G League teams must be submitted by Sunday, November 5.
Former Vancouver Bandits forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Atlanta Hawks. The news was announced by the Hawks via social media on Wednesday. Introduced in the NBA’s 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year deals. They can include a potential bonus if the player spends time with the team’s G League affiliate.
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.
This weekend, youth across Haida Gwaii will have the opportunity to learn and sharpen their basketball skills from British Columbia’s professional basketball team. Through the generous support of the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council (I∙SPARC) and Langara Island Lodge, the Vancouver Bandits and Bandits Community Foundation will be hosting free-of-charge youth basketball camps across Haida Gwaii, marking the organization’s first community visit to the North Coast region. “Haida Gwaii means a great deal to us, and we know how much basketball means to these communities. The game gives young people a place to grow, brings families together, and creates opportunities for teams to proudly represent where they come from,” said Yos Gladstone, Sales Coordinator, Langara Island Lodge. “The young players, coaches, families, and teams here deserve every opportunity we can help bring their way. We are grateful to the Vancouver Bandits, I∙SPARC and the Bandits Community Foundation for their commitment to make this program happen, and especially to those in Haida Gwaii who give so much of their time, energy, and efforts to basketball year-round.” “For us, supporting this program is personal. We care about the communities and the people who make them so special. If this visit from the Vancouver Bandits gives local players more time on the court, encouragement to keep going, and a chance to connect through the game, that is something we are proud to be part of.” The camps are hosted in collaboration with I∙SPARC, Bandits Community Foundation, Haida Gwaii Recreation and School District 50 Haida Gwaii. Across three days, over 200 youth athletes aged 10 to 17 and their families will gather in gymnasiums across Haida Gwaii for camps and workshops led by Bandits and Bandits Community Foundation staff members. Youth participants will also receive complimentary Vancouver Bandits merchandise. "Haida Gwaii holds a legendary place in this province and Indigenous basketball culture and being on the ground in Masset and Skidegate truly showcases how powerful this sport is," said Vancouver Bandits team president Dylan Kular. "The competitive drive and skill level of these youth are incredible, but what is even more inspiring is how basketball acts as a heartbeat for the entire region. Seeing the immediate connection between the youth, the coaching staff, and the local fans highlights exactly why we wanted to bring the Bandits to Haida Gwaii.” “We want to extend our deepest thanks to the Haida Nation and our partners at I∙SPARC and Langara Island Lodge for hosting us and sharing their incredible hospitality. This visit marks an exciting milestone for our organization, and we look forward to building on this relationship for years to come." The camp schedule for this weekend is as follows: Friday, October 2 Kwiiyaans Community Hall, Old Massett 12:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Daaxiigan Sk’adáa Née School, Masset 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, October 3 George Brown Recreation Centre, Skidegate 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday, October 4 George Brown Recreation Centre, Skidegate 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The forthcoming camps are part of the Indigenous Basketball Collective, representing the ongoing collaboration between I∙SPARC and the Vancouver Bandits, and build upon recent previous community visits to Williams Lake and Bella Coola earlier this year. Established in 2023, ongoing and past projects through the Collective include camps and clinics for Indigenous youth and coaches, building new basketball courts in Indigenous communities, and hosting the 2026 Junior All Native Basketball Tournament.
LATEST VIDEO
Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Mamba on May 14, 2026.
A message from Vancouver Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius on the 2025 season and thoughts on the CEBL Western Conference Semifinal.
Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Calgary Surge on August 16th, 2025.
Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Winnipeg Sea Bears on August 3rd, 2025.