Vancouver Bandits Select Three Homegrown Players at 2025 CEBL Draft

The Vancouver Bandits announced Thursday that the club has selected a total of three homegrown players – all hailing from the Lower Mainland – in Nikola Guzina from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Mikyle Malabuyoc from the University of Western Ontario (UWO) and David Mutabazi from Trinity Western University at the seventh annual Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) Draft.

Guzina was selected by the Bandits 10th overall in the first round, followed by Malabuyoc who was chosen in the second round, 11th overall, while Mutabazi completed the 2025 draft class in the final round, 30th overall.

“We are all really excited about the opportunity to work with this draft class,” said Bandits head coach and general manager, Kyle Julius. “We have a strong mandate to draft locally in order to grow and develop the game in BC. Working with this group and giving them the opportunity to earn pro minutes this summer aligns perfectly with our mandate.”

All players selected in the CEBL Draft were signed to a Developmental Player Contract, therefore retaining a student-athlete’s eligibility for the 2025-26 post-secondary basketball season. CEBL teams are incentivized to have developmental players on their active roster as up to a maximum of three will not count against a club’s per game active roster salary cap.

Guzina, a 6-foot-10 forward from Vancouver, B.C., recently completed his fourth season at UBC where he earned Canada West Third Team All-Star honours. After a shortened junior year due to injury, Guzina experienced a bounce back season in 2024-25 averaging 21.0 minutes, 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 29 games (26 starts) while finishing in double figures on 18 occasions.

Prior to his time with the Thunderbirds, Guzina starred at Vancouver’s King George Secondary where he helped lead the Dragons to a pair of Double-A provincial championship final appearances in 2018 and 2020.

The Bandits selected Malabuyoc, a 5-foot-10 guard from Vancouver, B.C., in the second round. He recently completed his sophomore year at the University of Western Ontario in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference and attended Vancouver College prior to his post-secondary career.

During the 2024-25 season, Malabuyoc placed fourth in total assists across all U SPORTS players with 116 helpers, while his 654 total minutes played led all Mustangs. He averaged 28.6 minutes, 12.4 points, 5.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.7 rebounds per game on 48.8 per cent shooting from field goal range over the course of 23 games played.

Closing out the Bandits’ 2025 draft class is 6-foot-5 guard David Mutabazi of Trinity Western University. Born in Kirinda, Rwanda and now calling Langley, B.C. home, he averaged 12.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals in 23 games played during the 2024-25 season. Additionally, Mutabazi recorded 164 total rebounds during the 2024-25 season, which placed him in the top 10 among all U SPORTS men’s basketball players.

Prior to transferring to TWU, Mutabazi played for Columbia Bible College in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) during the 2021-22 season, where he led the Bearcats in points, rebounds, assists, steals and field goals made and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player.

Tickets for the 2025 season, including Season Tickets, Jam Packs and Single Game Tickets, are currently on sale for the Bandits’ seventh CEBL season and are available for purchase at this link. 

The Bandits tip-off the 2025 CEBL campaign on Thursday, May 15 when the club hits the road to take on the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Fans will have their first chance to watch the club at home on Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m. PT when Vancouver hosts the Niagara River Lions in a rematch of the 2024 CEBL Final. Vancouver will play a total of 12 regular season home games in 2025 between Thursday, May 22 and Sunday, August 3. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road in Ottawa on Sunday, August 10 at 12 p.m. PT. 

All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on TSN+, as well as the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on CEBL Mobile, the official app of the CEBL (available on Android and iOS devices).

Individuals interested in learning more about tickets for the Vancouver Bandits’ upcoming 2025 season are kindly asked to call (604) 455-8881 or email tickets@thebandits.ca. A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here.