Vancouver Bandits Announce 2025 Front Jersey Patch Partnership with Dyrand Systems, Powered by Pax8

The Calgary Surge ended the Vancouver Bandits’ undefeated start and jumped to the top of the CEBL standings on Sunday (June 1). Calgary led for almost the entire game in a comprehensive 95-80 win over Vancouver at Langley Events Centre. Surge guard Sean Miller-Moore dropped a game-high 22 points, including the game-winning layup, while hitting a major milestone. “Rugzy” became the sixth player in CEBL history to score 1,000 total points, including the regular season and playoffs. “It’s just a testament to [the] work I put in… it feels good,” Miller-Moore said. Miller-Moore was proud of Calgary’s resilience down the stretch when Vancouver cut the deficit to just four points after trailing by 21 in the third. “They were at the top of the west … so of course, it was a statement win,” he said. “But I'm just proud of how we showed our composure at the end there when they went on a run.” Greg Brown III also had a massive impact on Sunday despite early foul trouble. The NBA-experienced forward notched a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Jameer Nelson Jr. continued to contribute on both ends for Calgary as well, with 15 points, eight assists, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. The Surge defence laid the foundation for its transition offence on Sunday, outscoring the Bandits 24-6 on the fast break. Calgary head coach Kaleb Canales has emphasized the defence to offence formula throughout the season. After a 5-1 start, Canales said the Surge are a great group to battle with every night. “The togetherness, the communication on and off the floor, the chemistry – they just love being around each other, and we love coaching them,” he said. Meanwhile, the Bandits picked up their first loss after a 5-0 start. Head coach Kyle Julius said the Bandits need to take it on the chin after they “flat out got beat”. “To be honest, we got a lot of wide open shots .. I think we got more wide open shots today than any other game we've played. I think we just didn't make them,” Julius said. Mitch Creek led the Bandits in scoring once again with 20 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Curtis Hollis also had a big night off the bench for Vancouver, scoring 17 points and sparking a 17-3 run in the fourth quarter. “The ball just finally hit my hands a couple times. I've been looking for it all game – sometimes it goes like that. We have a really deep team, so once it came to me I just stayed aggressive, and I started making [shots],” Hollis said. Vancouver started the game with a pair of quick buckets before Calgary seized control with a 10-0 run. The Surge locked in defensively, limiting Vancouver to 23 per cent shooting from the field in the opening 10 minutes and 0-6 from beyond the arc. The duo of Khyri Thomas and Stefan Jankovic led Calgary on another run to close the quarter, and the Surge carried a 26-13 advantage into the second. Miller-Moore showed off his offensive versatility in the second quarter, fading from the short corner, forcing a Vancouver timeout with a fastbreak layup, and burying a pair of triples to slow momentum. Vancouver responded by attacking the paint, sparking a late-half run that featured several highlight-reel finishes—including a massive transition poster dunk by Kyle Mangas. The Bandits closed the gap to 47-40 heading into halftime. After a pair of mid-range finishes from Izaiah Brockington early in the third cut into the deficit, Calgary took a stranglehold on the lead. The Surge went on an 18-2 run and led by as much as 21 before free throws from Mangas made it 71-52 heading into the fourth. Hollis jumpstarted the Vancouver offence in the fourth quarter, drilling three trifectas to lead the Bandits on a 17-3 run. The big run made it a four-point game, but Calgary maintained its poise. Brown III calmed things down with the hoop and the harm, and the teams traded blows until Olumide Adelodun buried a clutch three to give Calgary an 85-77 lead ahead of Target Score Time. Nelson Jr. drilled a triple of his own to open scoring in the final stretch. Brown III inched Calgary closer with a floater before Miller-Moore ended Vancouver’s undefeated start with back-to-back buckets. The Surge and Bandits meet again later this month on June 22 at WinSport Event Centre. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600592 

Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Calgary Surge on June 1st, 2025.

The Vancouver Bandits weathered a late push from the Edmonton Stingers to remain undefeated on Friday night (May 30). Mitch Creek and Kyle Mangas combined for 10 trifectas and 53 points to drive the Bandits to a 104-95 victory. Both Bandits impacted the game as playmakers as well. Mangas scored an efficient 27 points on eight-of-11 shooting, including the game-winning triple, to go along with eight assists. Creek tallied 26 points while dishing seven assists and snagging six rebounds. “I really tried to get my teammates involved and just make the right play,” Mangas said. “Basketball is fun when everyone's involved out there and touching the ball. If I have a shot, I'm going to take it – my team expects me to do that – but I'm trying to get others involved too.” With the win, the Bandits became the second team in the history of the CEBL to start 5-0. Edmonton was the only other franchise to do it, with its 7-0 start in 2021 remaining the standard. Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said his team looked tired as they wrap up a two-game road trip. “I thought they showed really good fight. I thought our leadership really showed out there, and we got great contributions,” Julius said. Through one half of basketball, the Stingers looked poised for a tight finish with the Bandits. But offensive struggles in the third quarter allowed Vancouver to seize control. “It was just our defensive game plan. I thought we were off it in the first [half] – we were missing some of our key assignments,” Julius said. “Then we were better with that in the second half and I thought the bench was really good in the second half.” Friday’s matchup at Edmonton Expo Centre was the second meeting between the two squads in less than a week. The Bandits routed the Stingers in the previous contest 109-79. Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker said the team isn’t satisfied with the loss but can come away with some positives compared to the previous game. “We're still early in the season and we want to learn from our experiences and learn from every game. So we definitely have some things to clean up but the guys showed some resilience and some effort after getting down early,” Baker said. Despite the loss, Edmonton’s Sean East II, Scottie Lindsey and Nick Hornsby all had stellar performances. East tied Mangas with a game-high 27 points, while Hornsby tallied 17 points and nine rebounds. Meanwhile, Lindsey dropped 20 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter in an effort to crawl back into the game. East said the Bandits had more execution and attention to detail down the stretch. “I got to do better. We got to do better as a team, and we just got to keep fighting and keep building towards something special,” he said. To open the game, Vancouver pounced with an 11-0 run that forced a Baker timeout. The Stingers went the opening four minutes without a field goal when East drained a triple to end the drought. From there, Edmonton dominated the remainder of the quarter. The Stingers finished the frame on a 19-4 run to take a three-point lead into the second. After a quarter defined by big runs, the second was more tightly contested with Edmonton getting into foul trouble early. Creek and East showcased their capabilities, duelling throughout the quarter. Back-to-back buckets from Creek late in the half regained the lead for the Bandits and Vancouver headed into the locker room with a 48-46 advantage. East finished the first half with 17 points, while Creek was close behind with 16. Creek’s playmaking helped Vancouver maintain its lead early in the third. A transition three from Mangas gave the Bandits their biggest lead of the quarter and forced the Stingers into a timeout. Mangas stayed hot out of the timeout and buried another trifecta. A contact finish from Curtis Hollis added to the run and Vancouver carried a 77-65 lead into the fourth despite a late push from Edmonton. Lindsey started the final frame on fire with back-to-back threes, cutting the deficit to six points. Unfortunately for the Stingers, Mangas stayed just as hot. The Indiana native connected on a pair of and-one trifectas before Creek joined the action with a three of his own. The Stingers closed the gap slightly before Target Score Time, but Vancouver headed into the final stretch ahead 14 with their sights on the 103-point mark. Lindsey almost single-handedly pulled the Stingers back into the game with 10 points in Target Score Time, but the duo of Creek and Mangas were steady for the Bandits. Creek scored Vancouver’s first five points of Target Time with a killer dropstep and a contested three. Meanwhile, Mangas netted the final five points with a pair at the charity stripe and a catch-and-shoot three to ice it. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600586