Vancouver Bandits Sign Franchise All-Time Leading Scorer Nick Ward

The Scarborough Shooting Stars had a hard time keeping up with the Vancouver Bandits. Even the mops at Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre had a difficult time soaking up all the sweat flying off the players as Vancouver set the pace. They set the tone early – scoring 32 points in the first quarter – and never gave up a lead en route to a 102-95 victory. Vancouver head coach and general manager Kyle Julius methodically took timeouts to kill Scarborough’s momentum, and had an answer every time his squad took time to regroup. Player of the Game, Tyrese Samuel, hit two free throws to not only win the game, but clinch first in the West for the Bandits, which means Vancouver will host the Western Conference Semifinal. Scarborough will finish the season as the third seed in the East, and will host the Montreal Alliance in the Eastern Conference Play-In. Samuel had a monstrous 32-point and franchise-record tying 18-rebound double-double performance. Vancouver went inside every time they needed him. Mitch Creek also played a huge role throughout the game with a 23-point game performance. However, it was the depth of Vancouver’s roster that made them the league’s very best. “We love each other,” Samuel said after the game. “We hold each other accountable.” All five starters scored in double-digits. Shamar Givance (20 points) nailed a triple to give Vancouver a 7-0 start, and his triple in the third gave them a 12-point lead. Zach Copeland’s threes in the second quarter killed any momentum Scarborough thought they had. Duane Notice came off the bench, but hit an important triple in the fourth to make it a 11-point lead. Though there are no moral victories in the CEBL, it was a confidence booster for Scarborough as they gave the league’s best a run for their money again. Today, they punched back, getting within four points in the fourth quarter. The last time the two played, Scarborough had the lead in the third, but Vancouver surged back and won in a nailbiter, 100-97. From Coach Julius’ perspective, this game would have been an improvement. Scarborough showed tremendous fight this game. Cat Barber remained sidelined, but Donovan Williams (20 points) and Terquavion Smith (18 points) punched back. Williams’ two-handed slam in the final frame forced Julius to take a timeout. Williams had another one earlier in the second quarter. Smith recovered from an injury in the third quarter after he had nailed a bucket at the buzzer. Michael Foster Jr. (20 points) hit threes for the first time in his CEBL career, making three of them. “He’s made us a lot more versatile. His ability to play both inside and out, handle the glass for us, and just being an athletic presence inside for us has really helped us out,” Scarborough head coach Mike De Giorgio said. Like Vancouver, Scarborough relied on its depth today, too. Jaden Campbell had 19 points off the bench and made a game-high five three-pointers, hitting them in pivotal periods of the game. Khalil Miller is becoming increasingly comfortable with his three-point range, hitting two of them. Box score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600674

Vancouver Bandits forward Mitch Creek was named the CEBL's Player of the Week, the league announced today. This marks the first weekly honour of Creek's CEBL career, and the second received by a Bandits player this season ( Zach Copeland: July 14, 2025 ). Creek averaged 31.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks while shooting 67.7% from the field and 87.5% from the free throw line across two games in the opening week of August.The Bandits went 2-0 during that stretch. On August 1, Creek scored a game-high 35 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 13-for-17 shooting from the field in a 121-105 win at home over Edmonton. On August 3, Creek recorded another game-high total scoring 27 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Vancouver cruised to a 106-74 victory over Winnipeg in a potential Championship Weekend preview on Sunday (Aug. 3). On Fan Appreciation Night, the sellout crowd of 5,504 at Langley Events Centre had a lot to appreciate. After setting a franchise record with 121 points on Friday, the Bandits followed that up with another offensive outburst. The duo of Mitch Creek and Tyrese Samuel paced the Vancouver attack with a combined 51 points. Creek netted a game-high 27 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. Meanwhile, Samuel flirted with a double-double, scoring 24 points to go along with nine rebounds. Zach Copeland complemented the frontcourt with consistent outside shooting, contributing 19 points as well. Vancouver improves its record to 17-5 on the season and maintains its spot atop the Western Conference with the Calgary Surge in pursuit. “The west is not the east … we've got [17] wins and we're biting and clawing to finish this thing out on top. So the West is a beast over here, and it's serious, and I'm proud that we're at the top of it for sure,” said Kyle Julius, head coach of the Bandits. Vancouver forced 19 Winnipeg turnovers, leading to 24 points. The Bandits’ defence also sparked the transition offence, outscoring the Sea Bears 27-4 on the fastbreak. Winnipeg head coach Mike Taylor said the Bandits came ready to play and “jumped all over” the Sea Bears. “People will look at the transition defence from our team or the fastbreak points from them, but I'm more concerned about our half-court offensive execution. I thought they were physical with good ball pressure. We didn't get the type of shots that we wanted,” Taylor said. Simi Shittu led the charge for Winnipeg with another double-double. The big man battled his way to 20 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. He said Winnipeg needs to tighten its transition defence moving forward. “We didn't come out the way we did in the last couple of games,” Shittu said. “[We were] fighting back most of the game.” Jalen Harris added 11 points and 7 assists while reaching a significant milestone. Harris became the ninth player in CEBL history to score 1,000 points all-time in regular-season and playoff games. “For the last several years, Jalen has been one of the top players in the league. For him as an import player to come in and have some of these accomplishments – it's a great thing,” Taylor said. Winnipeg veteran and former Bandit Alex Campbell became the fifth player in CEBL history to join the 500-rebound club on Sunday, collecting three boards just an hour after Edmonton’s Nick Hornsby hit the milestone in a separate game. Vancouver’s offence was dominant to start the game. After an early exchange of buckets, the Bandits seized control with a 16-0 run that featured triples from Creek and Copeland, along with inside finishes from Samuel. Trevon Scott and Shittu kept the Winnipeg attack afloat, but Vancouver entered the second quarter with a 33-24 lead. Efficient offence continued for Vancouver in the second, carried by Creek and Samuel. The pair combined for 18 points in the frame, including highlight reel jams from Samuel. Vancouver’s defence also stepped up, holding Winnipeg to 10 points in the second quarter to head into the locker room with a 60-34 advantage. Copeland caught fire from long-range in the third with a pair of trifectas in a back-and-forth quarter. However, the Bandits maintained a sizable 83-55 lead heading into the final frame. Vancouver built on its lead with a 10-0 run early in the fourth that featured a pair of triples from Creek. Copeland and Maurice Calloo traded buckets before Target Score Time, with Vancouver entering the final stretch ahead 31. Five points from Creek, a triple from Shamar Givance and a game-winning putback from Samuel propelled the Bandits to the win. Vancouver claims the regular season series against Winnipeg after splitting the first two games. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600665 Up next for both teams Winnipeg returns to Canada Life Centre for a meeting with the Niagara River Lions on Wednesday (Aug. 6) in another possible Championship Weekend preview. The Bandits hit the road for the final two games of the regular season with a matchup against Scarborough next Friday (Aug. 8) first on the agenda. Next CEBL action Vancouver will be keenly watching Calgary’s visit to Montréal on Monday (Aug. 4) with implications for the top spot in the Western Conference. For the full 2025 CEBL schedule and up-to-date results, please visit cebl.ca/games .