Vancouver Bandits will begin their seventh Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season with a road trip to Saskatoon, to face the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Thursday, May 15.
Bandits will be aiming to maintain the momentum from Saturday's 100-78 win over the 黑马磁力-based Sikh Warriors, an exhibition charity match at 黑马磁力 Events Centre that saw newly-signed Bandit guard Tristan Jass finish his first professional match with a game-high 28 points.
Jass, the popular host of a YouTube channel devoted to his basketball skills, was named player of the game.
"The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it鈥檚 possible," Jass said in an online post following the game.
Proceeds from the May 10 game will benefit the Bandits Community Foundation, which uses basketball to empower youth across British Columbia through grassroots programs, life skills education, and expanded access to the sport.
鈥淭his game is more than a preseason tilt, it is a celebration of our mission to grow the game and give back to communities across B.C.,鈥� said Dylan Kular, Vancouver Bandits team president.
Billed as the first-ever Punjabi pro basketball team to face-off against a CEBL team, the Warriors are part of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), an open-invitation, single-elimination tournament played each summer in the U.S. for a cash prize that reached $1 million last year.
This upcoming summer campaign will be head coach and general manager Kyle Julius鈥� sixth season with the club.
Last year, the club extended his contract through the 2025 and 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) seasons in a year-round capacity.
At the time, Julius said the club has "created a winning culture here in BC through tremendous hard work, trials, tribulations and lots of special moments."
Vancouver has advanced to the CEBL postseason in every year Julius has been at the helm.
Friday, Bandits announced they have re-signed Australian standout and fan favourite Mitch Creek for the 2025 CEBL season.
The 14-year vet and former Brooklyn Net and Minnesota Timberwolf appeared in eight games with the Bandits in 2024, averaging 26 points and nine9 rebounds per game last summer.
Bandits are welcoming back some other familiar faces, with returning players from its 2024 roster including CEBL veterans Duane Notice, Glen Yang and James Karnik, along with Curtis Hollis and reigning U SPORTS Championship MVP Sam Maillet.
Former New Orleans Pelican Izaiah Brockington, University of Florida alum and Canadian big man Tyrese Samuel, and San Antonio Spurs鈥� G League starter Kyle Mangas join the Bandits as newcomers to the league. Shamar Givance, Mike Nuga and Grant Shephard bring speed, size and prior CEBL experience to the roster.
The Bandits selected homegrown players Mikyle Malabuyoc (Western Ontario) and David Mutabazi (Trinity Western) with the No. 11 and No. 30 overall picks in the 2025 CEBL Draft. Also representing local talent is Surrey鈥檚 Majok Gum, who excelled at Laurier University at Waterloo, Ont. before playing his first season of professional basketball overseas in Germany in 2024-25.
Bandits first home is set for Thursday, May 22 when they host the Niagara River Lions at 黑马磁力 Events Centre in a rematch of the 2024 CEBL Final.
