Some new and familiar faces are popping up on the Vancouver Bandits’ roster ahead of their upcoming season that starts the month after next.
Among the most recent announcements, the club most recently welcomed 6 ft. 4 in. high-scoring guard Zach Copeland to the court. He hails from Oakland, Calif.
They have also recently re-signed forward Kur Jongkuch. Born in South Sudan, he grew up in London, Ont.
“This summer will be filled with hard work, passion, and amazing basketball. We owe it to the best fans in the league. Go Bandits,” said Jongkuch.
Also new on the roster is lead assistant coach Ransford Brempong. Now a retired player, the North Vancouver athlete played his last season with the Bandits in 2019.
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World-renowned player lacing up in Langley
Copeland is currently in the middle of his fourth professional season, suiting up for Bamberg Baskets in the Basketball Bundesliga, the top division of men’s basketball in Germany and a league renowned for helping produce various NBA players, as well as being regarded as a top 10 league globally in terms of its talent pool.
He currently sits fifth in points per game in the Bundesliga, scoring 18.1 points per game while also leading his team in three-pointers made with 83. Rounding out Copeland’s contributions are his four assists and 1.4 steals per game, as well as his 84.4 per cent free throw percentage – all of which are team highs.
“I am excited for what is to come this summer; to experience a great city like Vancouver and to contribute to a prominent organization while keeping my game sharp. I am grateful for the opportunity,” Copeland said.
He will report to the Bandits following the conclusion of his current European pro season.
Copeland is one of the international basketball scene’s rising stars. His prior overseas stops include England (2020-21), Ukraine (2021), Finland (2021-22) and Italy (2022-23).
A proven scorer with each of his previous clubs, Copeland demonstrated his elite production and reliability by helping Pistoia Basket win the Italian Serie A2 championship in 2023 after averaging 15.7 points per game spread over 40 games; culminating in Pistoia’s promotion to the Italian Serie A top division.
“Zach is an elite combo guard who has proven himself at the highest levels in Europe,” noted Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius.
”He has climbed the ladder every year. Zach is a leader and he will definitely enhance our culture. He plays with a ton of passion and energy. I can’t wait to get to work with Zach,” Julius added.
Copeland has elevated his game throughout his collegiate and professional career.
He began his collegiate tenure at City College of San Francisco where he was named Coast-North Conference player of the year and the California Community Colleges Men’s Basketball Coaches Association co-player of the year following his second season with the Rams in 2016-17.
His strong play at the junior college level paved the way for Copeland to transfer to Illinois State University, where he played two seasons of NCAA Division I basketball with the Redbirds from 2018-20.
In his final year at Illinois State, Copeland emerged as not just the Redbirds’ leading scorer, but one of the top players in the Missouri Valley Conference, leading his team with 14.5 points per game, which also ranked him seventh among conference leaders.
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Back with Bandits in new role
A longtime Canadian Senior Men’s National team forward and seasoned international pro, Ransford Brempong has now been announced as the Bandits’ lead assistant coach for its upcoming season at Langley Events Centre (LEC).
Brempong played his last year of pro basketball with the Bandits in 2019, averaging 5.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 16.5 minutes played per game over 11 games of action with B.C.’s pro basketball team.
Since retiring from professional play, Ransford has provided insight and analysis as Vancouver’s colour commentator for its broadcasts from 2021-23.
“Being part of the Vancouver Bandits as a player, broadcaster, and now as the club’s lead assistant coach is an honour that I do not take lightly,” Brempong said.
“The organization has high expectations for our roster and I am excited to lend my decades of experience and skills developed at the collegiate, international and national team levels to help our players get better and to achieve success this summer.”
A native of Thornhill, Ont., and a current resident of North Vancouver, Brempong played at Western Carolina University, where he showcased his defensive prowess over the course of five seasons of NCAA Division I basketball in the Southern Conference between 2000-05.
He graduated as both the school and conference’s all-time leader in blocked shots after averaging 7.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game spread over 116 games (81 starts).
Today, his 308 blocks continue to rank tops in school history and second in the conference.
Brempong’s decorated collegiate career set the stage for an impressive stretch of six years of European pro basketball spread across top leagues in Germany and the Netherlands.
He earned an all-star nod twice while in the Netherlands, including recognition as its defensive player of the year in 2006 after leading the Dutch league in blocks and rebounds.
Bolstering his professional accomplishments are Brempong’s eight years spent suiting up for the red and white as a key cog in Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team program.
While with the national team, Brempong built his relationship with Julius, the current Bandits head coach, who prior to coaching also played NCAA Division I basketball in the early 2000s and later starred at the University of Guelph before taking his career overseas.
Brempong and Julius frequented various Canadian national team training camps and competitions together.
“Rans brings a wealth of experience and a true passion for the game to our team. He has played at the highest levels and he understands our players and the league. I know what Rans is all about and I am excited to work with and learn from him,” said Julius.
Today, Brempong continues to give back to the game and is the founder and owner of WCT Hoops, a youth basketball program that develops local players on Vancouver’s North Shore.
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Jongkuch back for his second year
The club has re-signed 6-foot-9 forward Kur Jongkuch ahead of its upcoming season at LEC, which tips off on May 23 against Montreal.
Jongkuch made his professional debut with the Bandits last summer, after completing a five-year career of NCAA Division I basketball split between Northern Colorado University (2018-22) and Temple University (2022-23).
Throughout nine regular season Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) games, Jongkuch made an impression through his energy and motor, frequently dazzling the crowd by blocking shots, hustling for loose balls or skying above the rim for a dunk.
Jongkuch recorded season-highs in minutes played (18), points (nine), rebounds (six), and blocks (two) against Montreal on July 16, 2023.
Jongkuch’s strong second half of the season continued as he capped off the campaign with a perfect 3-for-3 shooting performance in a crucial win over the Scarborough Shooting Stars on July 30, followed by a big game on the glass in the CEBL western conference finals when he hauled in seven rebounds (four offensive).
Currently, Jongkuch is playing for Horsens IC in Denmark’s Basketligaen. His club is tied for first place in the league, while Jongkuch ranks first on his team in blocks (1.2), second in rebounds (6.8) and fifth in points (11) per game as of March 13.
Jongkuch grew up in Ontario, where he starred at London Basketball Academy before making the jump to NCAA Division I.
During the course of his collegiate career, Jongkuch played 151 games (126 starts) and alternated between the centre and power forward positions. He averaged a combined 5.7 points, 5.4 rebounds (1.8 offensive) and 18.9 minutes per game on 62.9 per cent shooting from field goal range between North Colorado and Temple.
“We are fortunate to have Kur back with us for a second summer. Kur’s energy and positive attitude are infectious. He makes us a better team and a closer group. He has improved so much from his first day with us last summer. It’s a testament to his work ethic and attitude. I can’t wait to get back to work with Kur,” said Julius.
Jongkuch represented the Canadian national team in the summer of 2022 when he suited up for the U-23 men’s program at the inaugural GLOBL Jam tournament. The 220-pound forward appeared in three games for the men’s national team at the event.
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Season kicks off at the end of May
The Bandits’ sixth season kicks off with a home opener on Thursday, May 23, at Langley Events Centre., where they take on the Montreal Alliance. Tickets and information are at thebandits.ca.
Vancouver will play a total of 10 regular season home games in 2024 between May 23 and July 18. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road against Montreal on July 28.
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Ransford Brempong has been announced as lead assistant coach for the Vancouver Bandits. (Vancouver Bandits,CEBL/Special to Langley Advance Times)
