FRASER VALLEY BANDITS ANNOUNCE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER FOR 2021 CEBL SEASON
Bandits Staff • June 15, 2021
ABBOTSFORD, B.C., June 15, 2021 – The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Tuesday the club’s training camp roster for the upcoming 2021 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season.
“I expect training camp to be a war as everyone should be battling to prove themselves and in turn fighting together to establish a level of competition and team-wide excellence. This group will be ready to not only adapt to different styles of play but will also be ready for whatever surprises might be thrown at us throughout the changing dynamics of the pandemic,” Bandits general manager Kyle Julius said.
The two returning players from last year’s team that advanced to the CEBL final after finishing second during the regular season are Marek Klassen and Malcolm Duvivier. A six-foot-two guard, Duvivier is coming off the best season of his professional career. During the 2020 Summer Series, he averaged 11.3 points, five rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game on 42 per cent shooting from the field and three-point range, respectively. The Bandits named Duvivier defensive player of the year and team MVP for his stellar two-way play.
The longest tenured player in Bandits history, the 2021 campaign will be Klassen’s third consecutive year with Fraser Valley. Klassen enters the upcoming season as the club’s all-time leading scorer and playmaker with averages of 12.6 points and 6.2 assists per game.
Adding to the Bandits’ depth at the guard position are three CEBL veterans in Alex Campbell, Gentrey Thomas and Jamal Reynolds. Campbell suited up for 19 regular season games for the Rattlers in 2019 and chipped in across the board with averages of 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game. Campbell’s stellar production with the Rattlers consistently ranked among Saskatchewan’s team leaders; first in total points, minutes, and three-point percentage, as well as second in assists and third in offensive and defensive rebounds.
Thomas most recently played for the Bristol Flyers (2019-20) in the British Basketball League (BBL) where he enjoyed the best season of his professional career, averaging 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game over 11 regular season games. Prior to the Flyers, Thomas had a stint with the Rattlers in 2019. Reynolds is no stranger to the CEBL and previously played for the Guelph Nighthawks in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, Reynolds was a key cog for the Nighthawks and finished in the top five in several statistical categories (minimum seven games played), including second in points (16.7), fifth in rebounds (5.8) and fifth in assists per game (3.2) over the course of his nine games played for Guelph.
In an effort to size up at the forward positions, Julius hit the free agency market this offseason and recruited some big acquisitions. The first point of address for Julius and interim head coach David Singleton was rim protection. To help protect the hoop, Julius signed former NCAA Division I blocks per game leader Brandon Gilbeck. A seven-foot centre from Spring Green, Wis., Gilbeck recently played for Latina Basket during the 2020-21 campaign in Italy’s Serie A2. Gilbeck played 16 games and averaged 8.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game on 58.1 per cent shooting from field goal range.
Joining Gilbeck is Julian Washburn, who played 18 games for the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2018-19 NBA season. A native of Duncanville, TX, Washburn has played two consecutive seasons for the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League (2019-21). Washburn averaged 7.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists on 42 and 36 per cent shooting from field goal and three-point range, respectively, this past season. The Blue Coats advanced to the G League Finals where the club ultimately fell short against the Lakeland Magic. Prior to suiting up for the Blue Coats, Washburn enjoyed solid tenures with the Austin Spurs (2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19) and Memphis Hustle (2018-19).
Further adding to the Bandits’ imposing front court is Shaquille Keith. Following his first CEBL season that saw Keith win a championship alongside Campbell, Keith joined the Ottawa BlackJacks and was a key contributor for the club at the 2020 CEBL Summer Series. Keith averaged 10.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on 51.4 per cent from the field and 45.5 per cent from three-point range, respectively.
Gilbeck, Keith and Washburn inject an impressive combination of size and versatility into the Bandits’ forward corps, while Kenneth Manigault adds a deft scoring touch to the group. Manigault brings a decorated resume built on the foundation of a tremendous college career that saw the talented swingman win National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I men’s basketball player of the year in 2015. Manigault also led the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) in scoring as a member of the Macau Black Bears in 2019-20.
Two Bandits CEBL U SPORTS Draft selections have also been named to the training camp roster. First and second round draft choices, Anthony Tsegakele from Brandon University and Adam Paige from the University of Alberta, respectively, will join the club in preparation for the season.
No roster is complete without veteran leadership. Former Kitsilano Blue Demon and Canada Basketball alumnus Levon Kendall, who last played for the Bandits in 2019 when he averaged 9.5 points per game in 17 games of action, was also named to the training camp roster.
Singleton, as well as recently announced assistant coaches Tanner Massey, K.J. Smith and Tony Scott will lead Fraser Valley’s training camp, which begins Friday, June 18.
“Selecting the coaching staff and building the roster from the other side of the world has been an exciting experience. I can't wait to see our vision and culture come to life. We built this team on the same foundation as last year – each member embodies toughness, togetherness and grit. We have a smart and hungry coaching staff eager to push this group to compete at a high level. We built this roster on our core values with the goal of enhancing our culture and style of play from last season. We have an extremely versatile roster with some tough two-way players and guys who can really generate offence,” Julius said.
The Bandits open the 2021 season at Abbotsford Centre when the club welcomes the Saskatchewan Rattlers for Fraser Valley’s home opener on Saturday, June 26. All regular season games will be live streamed on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices and on a new OTT streaming platform that the CEBL will unveil this spring.
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 80 percent of its 2020 rosters being Canadians. Players come from the NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian national team program, and top NCAA and U SPORTS programs. More information about the Bandits is available at thebandits.ca.
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Andrew Savory, Director of Operations, (604) 217-6213, asavory@thebandits.ca
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 club is proud to call Abbotsford Centre home. The Bandits offer a riveting 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. PerfectLens, a Vancouver-based contact lens supplier, is the official presenting partner of the Bandits’ 2021 season. Head to thebandits.ca for more information.
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