Coach Kannemeyer’s 3 Keys vs. HHB - July 23
By: Cassidy Kannemeyer • July 23, 2021
Here are Coach Kannemeyer's 3 Keys to the Game:
So far this season the Fraser Valley Bandits are 5-0 at home and winless in two games on the road. At home the Bandits play with better ball movement on the offensive end thanks to the off-ball activity of its athletic guards and forwards. Very rarely are any of Fraser Valley’s perimeter players standing still as the ball zips from side-to-side creating great shots instead of good shots.
Clearly the roster plays with more unselfishness at home and because more guys get involved offensively their defensive energy dramatically increases. The Bandits travel to Hamilton to face the Honey Badgers who have won four of five at home. On the road the Bandits haven’t shared the ball with the same effectiveness, opting for an isolated brand of basketball that calls for a lot of one-on-one play. The Bandits are at their best when the opposing team can’t focus on one offensive threat. Sharing the ball allows for several players to carry the load during different points in the game. If the Bandits can focus their attention offensively on side-to-side ball movement, inside-out dribble penetration and kicking to open teammates, the game should be close down the stretch and should allow for the Bandits to have a shot at winning their first road game this season.
Shut Down Lindell Wigginton
The Fraser Valley Bandits are one of the most balanced offensive teams in the CEBL. The Hamilton Honey Badgers through nine games have only two players averaging double figures in scoring. Meanwhile, the Bandits have seven. Lindell Wigginton is the head of the Honey Badgers’ attack. Like the Guelph Nighthawks led by Cat Barber, if the Bandits can shut down the one man scoring show it will force Hamilton’s role players to step up offensively. Wigginton is one of the league's brightest combo guards with the ability to be a three-level scorer. He has shown a tremendous ability to get to the free throw line. The Bandits would be wise to shut down all of Wigginton’s driving lanes in order to force the ball out of his hands. In pick and roll scenarios the Bandits should occasionally double team for the same effect. Seven footer Brandon Gilbeck would be the only defender that I would not want to double twenty five feet from the basket as he has been prone to foul trouble in the two road losses this season. In the Honey Badgers' worst loss of the season versus the Edmonton Stingers, Wigginton was harassed every time he touched the ball. Two defenders often stayed with him on pick and rolls. Alex Campbell, Kenny Manigault, and Malcolm Duvivier can all guard the ball effectively and will no doubt have the assignment of shutting down one of the best guards in the CEBL.
Zone or Man?
The Hamilton Honey Badgers play more zone than anyone in the CEBL so far this season. Make or miss the team drops back into a two-three zone on a high percentage of their defensive sequences. I suspect part of the reason for this is to hide their lack of an interior presence. Khalif Young and Jean-Victor Mukama at both six-foot-nine and six-foot-eight, respectively, are the linchpins in one of the smallest frontlines in the league. Their zone is essentially deployed to keep both of those big men out of foul trouble and crowd the paint to limit offensive paint touches. In their worst loss of the season versus the Edmonton Stingers, they were repeatedly gashed inside by high-low feeds versus their zone. If they deploy the zone versus the Bandits I expect the team to put a playmaker in the high post like Shaquille Keith or Kenny Manigault with Brandon Gilbeck and Ryan Ejim roaming the baseline for easy buckets. Fraser Valley’s shooting prowess could also expose the Honey Badgers’ zone but based on how the team has shot on the road, high-low basketball is the best way to expose Hamilton’s lack of front court rim protection.
LATEST NEWS
The Vancouver Bandits announced Thursday that Vancouver-based contact lens supplier, PerfectLens , has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Canadian professional basketball by extending its season presenting partnership of the Bandits for the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season. PerfectLens has partnered with Bandits Basketball since 2020 when its inaugural year of partnership was announced prior to the CEBL Summer Series. The focus of PerfectLens’ partnership with British Columbia’s professional basketball team is to contribute to the game day experience at Vancouver’s home venue of Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre (LEC) and to support basketball communities throughout the Lower Mainland. PerfectLens supported Bandits Community Foundation’s School Tour, a free program for high schools where Vancouver Bandits head coach Kyle Julius visited over 160 teams in three years. The upcoming CEBL seasons represent the seventh year of partnership between the Bandits and PerfectLens. “Since day one, our partnership with the Vancouver Bandits has been about more than visibility, it’s been about impact. Over the past six years, we’ve had the opportunity to support basketball at every level, from the energy inside Langley Events Centre on game day to meaningful community initiatives like the Bandits School Tour. We’re proud to continue building alongside an organization that shares our values of accessibility, community and growing the game across British Columbia,” said PerfectLens President Mitsuhiro Shigeno. As the club’s Official Contact Lens Supplier since 2020, PerfectLens will be promoted on Bandits game days at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre with a co-branded logo lock at centre court and on the team’s shorts for both home and away games against CEBL competition in each of the league’s nine other markets in Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Brampton, Niagara (St. Catharines), Scarborough (Toronto), Ottawa and Montréal. Bandits fans also receive an exclusive 20% discount on their first order through PerfectLens now through the end of the 2026 season on August 31st, 2026. PerfectLens has built a vast customer base across Canada since its inception in 2014. Through prioritizing customer service, its offering of brand name contact lenses at affordable prices, PerfectLens has earned a strong reputation from its loyal clients. “PerfectLens has been an integral part of the Bandits story since 2020, and their continued commitment speaks to the strength of this partnership. They understand that what we are building goes beyond basketball, it is about creating unforgettable game day experiences and making a lasting impact in communities across the province,” said Vancouver Bandits team president Dylan Kular. “We are proud to have PerfectLens back as our Season Presenting Partner and look forward to continuing to grow together in 2026 and beyond.”
the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) and CBC Sports unveiled the league’s 2026 broadcast and streaming schedule. Beginning May 9, CBC Sports will live stream every game of the 2026 CEBL season on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca and CBC Sports YouTube channel . Additionally, six regular season matchups, the Conference Finals and the best-of-three CEBL Finals will be broadcast nationally on CBC TV. CBC Sports’ coverage of the league’s eighth season tips off on Saturday, May 9 at 3:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. MT) from the Edmonton EXPO Centre, where the Edmonton Stingers host former Stingers guard and three-time CEBL MVP Xavier Moon and the Winnipeg Sea Bears in a highly anticipated season opener. “This broadcast schedule reflects the commitment of both our League and CBC Sports to deliver Canadian-grown, top-tier sport action across the nation,” said CEBL President and CEO Ty Mazereeuw. “We’ll be bringing free access to premier matchups from Canada’s pro basketball league to audiences across Canada .” CBC Sports returns as a key media partner under a new five-year agreement, as announced March 3 , after serving as the league’s original broadcaster from 2019 to 2022. The national broadcast schedule also features a marquee rematch of last summer’s dramatic Western Conference Semifinal, with the Calgary Surge visiting the Vancouver Bandits on July 5 at Langley Events Centre. Additional matchups throughout the summer will showcase some of the league’s top rivalries and premier talent. Regular-Season games available on CBC TV: Saturday, May 9, 2026 | 3:30 PM ET | Winnipeg Sea Bears at Edmonton Stingers Sunday, July 5, 2026 | 3:30 PM ET | Calgary Surge at Vancouver Bandits Sunday, July 12, 2026 | 3:30 PM ET | Calgary Surge at Winnipeg Sea Bears Saturday, July 18, 2026 | 3:30 PM ET | Edmonton Stingers at Niagara River Lions Saturday, July 25, 2026 | 3:30 PM ET | Brampton Honey Badgers at Winnipeg Sea Bears Sunday, August 2, 2026 | 3:30 PM ET | Winnipeg Sea Bears at Vancouver Bandits The schedule for CBC Sports’ CEBL Playoffs coverage will be announced at a later date. For the full 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League schedule, visit cebl.ca/schedule . Additional streaming will be available on CEBL+. Details on the league’s new playoff format are available at cebl.ca/playoffs , and ticket information can be found at cebl.ca/tickets .
The Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) have announced that the club will be hosting its first-ever university combine, inviting some of British Columbia’s most promising men’s basketball student-athletes to showcase their talents and earn a spot on a professional roster. The Bandits University Combine, presented by Fuel Supplements, will take place April 25-26, 2026 at Langley Events Centre and is the first event of its kind hosted by a CEBL team. The invite-only combine will feature nearly 40 student-athletes from post-secondary men’s basketball programs across BC and North America. The goal of the combine is for Bandits coaching staff to identify players to invite to training camp, where they can compete for a roster spot for the 2026 CEBL season. “This combine will give local student-athletes a real professional experience and help us identify players who can impact our team this season,” said Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “This is the first event of its kind and it is going to create real opportunities for players to step into a pro environment and prove themselves. University players have been a big part of our success, and we will use this combine to strengthen our roster this summer and build for the future.” Under the guise of Julius and the Bandits’ coaching staff, student-athletes will participate in workouts and training mirroring those at the professional level. The combine will consist of team-based drills and full-court gameplay; participants will also undergo off-court health testing including a complete body composition analysis scan. Student-athletes from the following post-secondary men’s basketball programs will be participating in the Bandits University Combine: Briercrest College, Bishop’s University, Brandon University, Capilano University, Cleveland State University, MacEwan University, McMaster University, Okanagan College, Queen’s University, Thompson Rivers University, Trinity Western University, University of British Columbia, University of British Columbia Okanagan, University of the Fraser Valley, University of Manitoba, University of Northern British Columbia, University of Victoria. As part of the CEBL’s long-standing partnerships with U SPORTS and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), Canadian men’s basketball student-athletes can be signed to Developmental Player Contracts therefore retaining a student-athlete’s post-secondary eligibility. Past Bandits rosters have consisted of university talent such as Thomas Kennedy (2023 U SPORTS Player of the Year), Diego Maffia (2024 U SPORTS Player of the Year) and Sam Maillet (2025 U SPORTS Championship MVP) who have excelled at both their schools and in the CEBL, and have since advanced to professional opportunities. Fans will get their first chance to watch the Bandits’ new-look roster in a charitable preseason game on Saturday, May 9 at 5:00 p.m. at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre when the club faces the Sikh Warriors from ESPN’s The Basketball Tournament. Preseason tickets are on sale at this link , with proceeds benefitting the Bandits Community Foundation. The Bandits open the 2026 CEBL season on Thursday, May 14 on the road in Saskatoon before coming home for its Home Opener against the Edmonton Stingers on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. A full game schedule can be viewed here . Bandits Single Game Tickets and additional 2026 ticket options can be purchased here . All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, the CEBL Mobile app, the CBC Gem app and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. Marquee games will air nationally on CBC TV.
The Vancouver Bandits have announced that Otter Co-op has been named the presenting partner of the Bandits Backyard BBQ, enhancing one of the club’s most popular fan experiences at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre. The Bandits Backyard BBQ, introduced during the 2025 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season, quickly became a fan-favourite Sunday tradition. Designed to bring the community together before tip-off, the Bandits Backyard BBQ experience features live music, local food and beverage offerings, interactive activations and a vibrant, family-friendly atmosphere that extends the game day experience beyond the court. Through the partnership, Otter Co-op will play a key role in elevating the Bandits Backyard BBQ experience, while deepening the connection between the Bandits, Bandits fans and the greater community. Attending the Bandits Backyard BBQ is free to all community members and Bandits gameday ticket purchasers. “As we continue to build one of the best live event experiences in the country, Bandits Backyard BBQ has become a cornerstone of what makes Bandits game days special,” said Vancouver Bandits team president Dylan Kular. “Otter Co-op is a trusted community brand that understands how to bring people together. This partnership allows us to elevate an experience our fans already love while continuing to create meaningful moments before the game even begins.” The Bandits Backyard BBQ will be expanded to all Saturday and Sunday Vancouver Bandits regular season home games during the 2026 CEBL season The dates for the 2026 Bandits Backyard BBQs at Envision Financial Court at Langley Events Centre are: Sunday, May 24, 2026 vs. Calgary | 5:00 p.m. Saturday, June 6, 2026 vs. Saskatoon | 6:00 p.m. Game played at Prospera Place as part of Kelowna HOOPFEST Saturday, June 13, 2026 vs. Ottawa | 6:00 p.m Saturday, June 20, 2026 vs. Brampton | 6:00 p.m. Saturday, June 27, 2026 vs. Winnipeg | 6:00 p.m. Sunday, July 5, 2026 vs. Calgary | 12:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25, 2026 vs. Saskatchewan | 6:00 p.m. Sunday, August 2, 2026 vs. Winnipeg | 12:30 p.m. "Otter Co-op and Angry Otter Liquor have always believed that strong communities are built around shared experiences, and the Bandits Backyard BBQ is exactly that kind of opportunity,” said Otter Co-op marketing & community relations manager, Sean Weatherly. “The Vancouver Bandits support the community and bring people together in a way that reflects everything we value as a co-operative. We couldn't be more excited to partner with them to be part of it, and can't wait to see everyone out at the barbecues this summer.” The partnership reflects the Bandits and Otter Co-op’s continued commitment of creating community-driven experiences that go beyond basketball, while aligning with partners who share a vision of connection, accessibility and local impact. For more information about the Vancouver Bandits, visit thebandits.ca .
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Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Calgary Surge on July 25, 2025.