Langley – The Fraser Valley Bandits announced that the club has re-signed general manager Kyle Julius for the team’s upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season at Langley Events Centre (LEC).
The 2022 CEBL campaign will be Julius’ third season at the helm as general manager of the Bandits. Under Julius’ direction, the Bandits earned trips to the CEBL finals and semifinals in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
“It’s a genuine privilege to be part of the Fraser Valley Bandits organization. We are committed to competitive greatness and giving our athletes a great summer experience. I believe we can improve upon our overall performance last summer and grow from what we learned. We were one possession away from being in the championship game for a second year in a row. We understand the process and steps required to build upon that,” Julius said.
“We have proven to be a top team in the CEBL and I am excited for the opportunity to work towards achieving our high standards and expectations. We are looking forward to building another team centered around our values, driven by our passion and focused on the growth and development of our players.”
During the CEBL offseason, Julius serves as head coach and general manager of the Formosa Dreamers, a Taiwan-based professional basketball team in the P.LEAGUE+. The Dreamers advanced to the P.LEAGUE+ finals in 2020-21, ultimately falling to the Fubon Braves.
Recent Bandits big man and 2021 CEBL defensive player of the year Brandon Gilbeck is currently signed by Formosa for the upcoming P.LEAGUE+ season and will continue his development under Julius’ instruction as one of the leading forwards playing international basketball this winter. Julius joined the Dreamers in 2019 after three successful seasons with the Saigon Heat and a championship campaign with the London Lightning in 2016-17. Julius left the Heat as the all-time winningest coach in team history.
“I’m excited to welcome Kyle back for another season with the Bandits. He has proven to be adept in his ability to construct a roster of high-level professionals who compete for one another and are dedicated members of the community that are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes in our collective pursuit of a CEBL championship,” said Bandits president Dylan Kular.
Julius also served as Fraser Valley’s head coach at the CEBL Summer Series in 2020 and instilled a tenacious work ethic within the roster that has permeated throughout the club’s basketball operations department since his original hire in December 2019. Despite falling to Edmonton in the CEBL championship game in 2020, Fraser Valley emerged as a force to be reckoned with, leading the CEBL in point differential (+7) and placing second in points (87.7) and steals per game (10).
Fast forward to the 2021 CEBL campaign and the Bandits once again proved that the team’s uptempo offensive style of play and blue-collar defensive mindset is an excellent combination for providing fans with a riveting quality of basketball that is as exciting to watch as it is successful on the court.
The Bandits were one of the league’s top teams, finishing the regular season with a 5-2 record at home, which was punctuated by a 104-84 quarterfinal playoff victory in front of a sold-out crowd at Abbotsford Centre on August 15.
