Vancouver Bandits Sign Uvic Vikes Star, U SPORTS Finals MVP Sam Maillet

Vancouver Bandits forward Jaelen House was named the CEBL's Player of the Month for the month of May. This marks the second league honour received by House this this season (CEBL Player of the Week: May 25, 2026) Samuel averaged 26.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 10.8 assists across six games with the Bandits during the month of may, with the club going 5-1 during that stretch. On May 14, House scored 33 points along with 10 assists in his CEBL debut in a 124-95 road win against Saskatoon. On May 22, House set the CEBL single-game assists record with 17, along with 32 points, in a 111-88 home win against Edmonton.

The Vancouver Bandits found themselves in unfamiliar territory on Saturday night.  The team was coming off back-to-back losses – including an ugly, lopsided 33-point defeat two nights earlier in Winnipeg, which knocked them out of first place in the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Western Conference. “We just wanted to get back to our identity because we know we're a better club than we've shown these last two games,” said Lloyd Pandi, a CEBL veteran making his Bandits debut after signing with the club this week. “I think it was truly important because of the history of the Bandits and because it showcased what this program and this ball club are all about. Those last two games weren't really demonstrative of who we are as a ball club, so I felt it was important to get back to showing that.” Vancouver was hosting the Brampton Honey Badgers at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre on Saturday night as part of the club’s South Asian Heritage Night. After leading by just four at halftime, the Bandits erupted for 61 second-half points en route to a 102-81 rout, improving to 8-4. Brampton lost a fourth straight and sits at 7-5. “I really liked how we competed, stayed in the fight (but) ultimately, tonight wasn’t our night,” said Honey Badgers head coach Alex Cerda. “I think we just looked gassed in the second half.” Mitch Creek – playing his second game since returning to Vancouver last week – picked up where he left off from his 2025 CEBL MVP season, scoring 26 points while adding eight rebounds and eight assists. “(Mitch's) really a leader because of his experience, how good he is and the type of person he is,” Pandi said. “He makes it easy. He's not really an arrogant type of guy. He's humble. And he goes out there and he does it. It's not like he's one of those guys that talks and doesn't do it. While Creek led the team offensively, it was far from a one-man show as Jarkel Joiner added 22 points and eight assists, Tyrese Samuel finished with a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds), Miller Koop had 15 points and Pandi had eight points and five rebounds. Sean East II and Landers Nolley II led the Honey Badgers with 18 points apiece. “They get back with urgency and then when you drive to the paint, they make you earn it, they make it really challenging,” Cerda explained of the Bandits defensive style. “I think collectively, they're better as a team defending than as opposed to individual defenders, but they really cover for one another, and they defend with multiple efforts. It really presented a problem for us.” Next game: The Bandits are back in action on Saturday, June 27 at 6:00pm as they host the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre for Filipino Heritage Night. Both teams enter with 8-4 records.

The Vancouver Bandits announced Saturday that the club has signed former Canadian university standout and two-time U SPORTS national champion Lloyd Pandi. A veteran of 52 CEBL games across four seasons for both the Ottawa BlackJacks and Niagara River Lions, Pandi was named CEBL Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 and is a two-time CEBL U SPORTS Player of the Year (2020, 2022). A 6-foot-4 guard, Pandi has spent the past two seasons with Rasta Vechta in Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga, where he has averaged 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.7 minutes across 80 games played between 2024 and 2026. Hailing from Ottawa, Ont., Pandi has represented the Canadian senior national team on multiple occasions, including call-ups at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers, 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and 2022 FIBA AmeriCup roster. Boasting a decorated university career, Pandi played two seasons of collegiate basketball at Ottawa’s Carleton University where he captured back-to-back U SPORTS national championships. His outstanding performance during his senior year with the Ravens in 2021-22 earned him several accolades, including the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy for U SPORTS Player of the Year and U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian honours.