Vancouver Bandits training camp is underway at the Langley Events Centre (LEC).
Vancouver’s 2024 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) training camp roster features 15 athletes including 12 Canadians, 7 British Columbians, three Americans and four U SPORTS development athletes.
On Wednesday, May 15, Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius and team co-owner Bryan Slusarchuk took a break from training camp to meet with reporters at the LEC.
“This is my fifth year with the team, but this is the first year that I’ve been able to really commit full-time to the team in the off-season,” Julius commented.
“This time last year, I was just arriving from a coaching job in Taiwan, and I typically built the roster and the team remotely from overseas.”
Julius summarized the 2024 Bandits as “high-level talent with very high-level experience.”
Slusarchuk noted other teams in the league have also been working on their lineups.
“What we’ve seen in the off-season is the Vancouver Bandits have gotten a lot better, but so has everybody else,” Slusarchuk said.
“There have been some incredible signings across the league, a lot of new exciting players in the league that haven’t played here before, a lot of returning veterans. We’re just incredibly excited about this upcoming year.”
Returning members from 2023’s Bandits roster are Kur Jongkuch, Diego Maffia, Duane Notice and Nick Ward. Rounding out the returning cast is James Karnik, who missed the entire 2023 CEBL season due to injury.
New faces on the roster include American guards and newcomers Zach Copeland and Tazé Moore, as well as Canadians Koby McEwen and Glen Yang.
McEwen and Yang join the Bandits after previously playing for Brampton and Winnipeg, respectively.
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Also on the roster is Josip Vrankic, who is currently playing in Spain, and Vancouver’s Drew Urquhart, with Sam Maillet, who hails from New Brunswick.
Three CEBL draft selections are at training camp: Adam Olsen (first round, fourth overall), Jerric Palma (second round, 17th overall) and Connor Platz (third round, 24th overall).
Each of the B.C. natives were selected by Vancouver in April at the annual draft.
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Bandits’ sixth season of professional basketball opens Thursday, May 23 when the club welcomes the Montréal Alliance to Langley Events Centre for their home opener. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Vancouver will play a total of 10 regular season home games in 2024 between that date and Thursday, July 18.
