Karnik Plays Hero in Bandits 88-83 Win Over Shooting Stars

May 27, 2024
Zulfi Sheikh

After missing the entire 2023 CEBL season due to injury, James Karnik has returned with a vengeance.


The Surrey, B.C. native scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as he willed the Vancouver Bandits (2-0) to a rallying 88-83 win over the Scarborough Shooting Stars (0-2) on Sunday night.


Karnik not only scored the Bandits first 10 points in the fourth quarter – giving the team its first lead since the 2:37 mark of the second – the forward also went on to hit the game-winner in Target Score Time. After the heroic outing, general manager and head coach Kyle Julius couldn’t help but commend the 25-year-old’s performance in front of his hometown crowd.


“His energy, effort and enthusiasm was just through the roof,” said Julius. “His ability to just will a play, use his mental toughness, to never give up and just outwork people is incredible.


Vancouver got multiple strong contributions on the night as they remained undefeated, with all five starters scoring in double figures. Tazé Moore led the way with a team-high 19 points to go with eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks. Meanwhile, Nick Ward and Koby McEwen chipped in with 18 and 17 points, respectively.


On the other side, the defending champs were spearheaded by Jackson Rowe for a second consecutive game as the 2023 CEBL All-Canadian notched a double-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Tevian Jones added 16 points while Jalen Adaway scored 13 points off the bench in his CEBL debut.


Entering the night, the game was billed as a matchup between two of the league’s top three-point shooting teams as Vancouver and Scarborough combined for 79 attempted triples through their respective first games. Yet the first quarter of Sunday’s matinee was anything but as both squads shot sub-30 per cent from distance and made just eight shots a piece.


The defensive clinic resulted in more turnovers from each team than made threes as the Bandits and Shooting Stars went into the second quarter tied 20-20.


Vancouver remained in that shooting slump throughout the second quarter while Scarborough proved their league-best three-point shooting percentage through game one was no fluke. The Shooting Stars hit nine threes in the frame on a 50 per cent clip, subsequently earning themselves a five-point lead at the break. Jones hit three of his five long-balls in the frame for all nine of his first half points.


Despite trailing, the Bandits were getting strong performances with McEwen, Moore and Ward all scoring over 10 points through two quarters. Why they were lagging behind was the fact they were matching the Shooting Stars threes with twos.


And once the third quarter got underway, it looked like the 2023 champs were going to pull away for win No. 1 on the season as they opened up a double-digit lead courtesy of a 10-2 run. 


Yet Vancouver – like they had done in their season-opening win against Montréal – found a way to respond when they needed it most. The Bandits punched back with a 10-2 run of their own followed by Kur Jongkuch hosting an unexpected block party. The South Sudanese forward swatted three shots in the span of two minutes to give the Bandits the necessary stops to get within striking distance. His defensive effort, along with a pair of threes from McEwen and Copeland, brought the game to 69-67 heading into the fourth.


“He changed the game,” Julius said on Jongkuch’s impact towards the end of the third. “We have a saying, ‘One possession can change a game’ and he really demonstrated that tonight. In the five minutes of playing time, he really sparked us.”


Once Target Score Time arrived, the score was knotted up at 79 points each (largely thanks to Karnik), and Scarborough was looking to hold on for their first win of the season while trying not to think about how they failed to execute in a similar situation just two days prior.


Against the Winnipeg Sea Bears, after leading for a majority of that contest, the Shooting Stars ultimately came up short in a crushing three-point loss. A couple of crucial misplays down the stretch – like missing two game-winning free throw attempts – cost them, and they were hoping to avoid that same fate on Sunday night.


Unfortunately for them, it ended up being more of the same. Scarborough committed three turnovers through the final handful of possessions and gave Vancouver just enough momentum to sneak away with the narrow victory. Kadre Gray’s fifth turnover on the night was scooped up by the Bandits and eventually made its way to Karnik for a layup to end the game.


“We’ve shown how we want to play,” Shooting Stars head coach Devan Blair said postgame reflecting on his team’s inability to close out games so far. “But we can’t just do it for four-minute spurts, we have to be able to sustain it for an entire game.”


Up Next

Vancouver hits the road to put their undefeated record on the line against fellow 2-0 Saskatchewan Rattlers on Thursday.


Meanwhile, Scarborough wraps up its three-game road trip by visiting the Calgary Surge (0-1) on Wednesday in a rematch of last year’s Championship Weekend Final.



- CEBL –



About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.

‘To Learn and to Serve’: Why BlackJacks Coach Mazzulla Chose the CEBL

August 5, 2026
Justin Mazzulla has had no shortage of coaching role models in his life. His dad, Daniel Mazzulla Jr., coached boys and girls high-school teams growing up in Johnston, R.I. His brother, Joe Mazzulla, won the 2024 NBA title as coach of the Boston Celtics. Justin also played for multiple coaches in his career on the court, which spanned NCAA stops at George Washington and Vermont before moving onto the sidelines as a video co-ordinator with the Utah Jazz. Yet despite the bevy of potential idols, it’s a legendary hockey coach from whom Mazzulla takes inspiration. “I like Herb Brooks' coaching style,” Mazzulla said. “It's a great movie, obviously, with the end, but I just like the team and the journey of the team.” Mazzulla is referring to the movie Miracle, which depicts the Brooks-led 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team’s underdog triumph over the Soviet Union in Salt Lake City. He said he watches the film often as motivation. Now in his first head-coaching stint as leader of the Ottawa BlackJacks, it wouldn’t be classified as miraculous if Mazzulla got his hands on the championship trophy next month. But the BlackJacks do sit in the middle of a dogged Eastern Conference playoff race as the season enters its final games, and it would be considered an upset of sorts for any team other than the conference-leading Scarborough Shooting Stars to represent the East in the Finals. Mazzulla said his team isn’t paying close attention to the standings. “Whether we have a solidified spot in first or second or third or fourth, we're still competing for the playoffs and then pushing towards the championship. So managing expectations in that journey is super important,” he said. When Mazzulla was hired by the BlackJacks in January, he became the youngest head coach in CEBL history at 27 years, 26 days at the time of his appointment. It’s a role the December baby said he has envisioned and manifested for his whole life, taking over the bench of a professional basketball team. The end game, if all goes to plan, is to be an NBA head coach. “But I think right now, just my ultimate goal is to help others be the best version of themselves and to learn from everybody. To learn and to serve,” Mazzulla said. Even though he played, Mazzulla always knew his ultimate destiny in basketball would be on the sidelines. After finishing his NCAA career, he took on a role as a graduate assistant at the University of Rhode Island before joining the Jazz as assistant video co-ordinator and their G League squad as assistant coach. “I always just wanted to be a coach. I think as a player, I was a player's coach. I'm a coach's son. So it kind of was helping people be the best version of themselves and I tried it on the court and it always stuck and I always wanted to do it,” he said. For Mazzulla, then, it made sense to spend a summer in Canada’s capital, where he could take the reins for the first time in a league full of players who are just trying to be better. That’s his why, after all. In Ottawa, he specifically mentioned helping U Sports player Justin Ndjock-Tadjore understand and grow into his role while challenging star guard Javonte Smart to become more of a vocal leader. “Everyone has a skill and everyone has something to bring to the table. The best part is helping that person find that skill or that talent and helping the person see it all come together with a team and taking one person, helping them see the best version of themselves and applying it from a holistic standpoint,” Mazzulla said. “So kind of like doing a puzzle, just trying to help someone see the beauty in there and what they have and then putting it in to see a bigger picture.” Still, as a rookie coach, he reached out to brother Joe for some advice before taking over the BlackJacks. While the Celtics boss didn’t offer him all the solutions, he did provide a different kind of guidance. “In terms of timeout usage, game management, substitution patterns, offensive execution patterns — instead of him speaking his philosophy, he more was like, ‘If you find this situation, you could maybe try and go about it this way, but it always doesn't mean it leads to something that you may like,’” Justin said. Besides, Joe has never coached in the CEBL, which is a whole different animal than the NBA when considering the FIBA rules, Canadian lineups and Target Score Time. Justin said the latter has been his biggest adjustment: “the importance of executing and how you can get your team to in crucial moments work together to get the best shot and not fall in love with hunting nine points.” He said his offensive tactics with the clock off have evolved drastically from the beginning of the season. It’s all part of the learning experience. “You build relationships with tons of different people and you just gain different experiences and see different things each and every game,” he said. And perhaps, if things go to plan for the BlackJacks the next few weeks, he’ll have his own ‘Miracle on Hardwood.’

Canadian Elite Basketball League Statement

August 5, 2026
Following the League's review of the on-court altercation that occurred during the August 3, 2026 game between the Scarborough Shooting Stars and the Brampton Honey Badgers, the League has issued fines to both teams and the following disciplinary decisions for the players involved:  Roddy Peters Jr. (Brampton Honey Badgers): Two-game suspension and fine Tegra Izay (Brampton Honey Badgers): One-game suspension and fine Myles Powell (Scarborough Shooting Stars): Fine Javan Johnson (Scarborough Shooting Stars): One-game suspension and fine Frank Mitchell (Scarborough Shooting Stars): One-game suspension and fine Terquavion Smith (Scarborough Shooting Stars): Two-game suspension and fine All disciplinary decisions are effective immediately. ###

Canadian Elite Basketball League Statement On The Passing Of Jamie Burns

August 4, 2026
The Canadian Elite Basketball League is deeply saddened by the passing of Jamie Burns, Chair of our Board of Directors and Co-Owner and Managing Partner on the Edmonton Stingers. Jamie helped shape our league from its earliest days, guiding with vision and care. That vision was rooted in decades of experience including helping bring the NBA to Canada and launching the Toronto Raptors, serving as a director of Canada Basketball, and building one of Edmonton's most respected business careers. He believed in the power of sport to bring people together, strengthen communities, and create opportunities for others. We are committed to carrying that belief forward in his honour. On behalf of all of our teams, employees and many partners, we extend our deepest condolences to Jamie's family, friends, and the Edmonton Stingers organization. We share in your grief and we are grateful for the privilege of having worked alongside and being able to call Jamie Burns our friend. -00-

Tsn Fait Équipe Avec La Ligue Élite Canadienne De Basketball Pour Les Séries Éliminatoires 2026

August 4, 2026
Le chef de file sportif canadien offrira une couverture nationale complète du 6 au 16 août de la course au championnat de la LECB

TSN Teams Up With Canadian Elite Basketball League For 2026 Playoffs

August 4, 2026
Canada's Sports Leader to deliver comprehensive national coverage August 6 - 16 ofthe race to the CEBL Championship

Winnipeg Sea Bears Sign Forward Ben Stevens for 2026 Playoff Run

August 4, 2026
The Winnipeg Sea Bears announced August 4, 2026, that they've signed forward Ben Stevens ahead of the team's upcoming playoff run. The signing was completed before the CEBL's August 3 transaction deadline, and Stevens is playoff eligible with Winnipeg, having appeared in enough games with the Montréal Alliance during the 2026 regular season to qualify under league rules. Stevens arrives with four seasons of professional experience across seven leagues in seven countries, including stints in Germany, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Australia, Mongolia, and Canada. His most prolific professional stretch came with the South West Slammers in Australia's NBL1, where he averaged 18.0 points and 12.4 rebounds across 19 games in 2023. For his career, Stevens has averaged 10.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 25.0 minutes across 128 professional games. Stevens shared his excitement about joining the club: "I'm incredibly excited to be joining the Winnipeg Sea Bears for the playoffs! I'm grateful for the opportunity and can't wait to get to work with this group. I'm looking forward to making a strong playoff push, competing at a high level, and doing whatever I can to help the team win. Let's get after it!" A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University with a degree in Environmental Studies, Stevens finished his 2022-23 graduate season averaging 10.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. The Halifax native is also the founder of Big Ben's Basketball Camps, which delivered skills programming to 30 youth athletes across two summers. ###

Les Séries Éliminatoires De La LECB 2026 Commencent Jeudi

August 3, 2026
La ligue lance un nouveau format de séries éliminatoires qui se termine par la première finale de l'histoire de la LECB qui se tiendra sur plusieurs matchs

2026 CEBL Playoffs Set To Begin Thursday

August 3, 2026
League debuts new playoff format, capped by the first multi-game CEBL Finals series in history

CEBL Statement - Game Start Delay Notice - Sunday, August 2

August 2, 2026
Tomorrow's Canadian Elite Basketball League game in Vancouver between the Winnipeg Sea Bears and the Vancouver Bandits has been moved from 12:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. ET to 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET due to travel disruptions. The League will provide updates as necessary.

Aperçu hebdomadaire de la LECB : Les enjeux de la dernière semaine de la saison régulière

July 29, 2026
C'est la dernière semaine de la saison de la LECB et il reste encore beaucoup à décider, en commençant par les places pour les séries éliminatoires jusqu’au classement des têtes de série. Commençons sans plus attendre... Conférence de l'Est Nous savons (nous savions depuis longtemps, en réalité) que les Shooting Stars de Scarborough entreront en séries éliminatoires en tant que la meilleure équipe de l'Est et qu'ils sont l'équipe à battre. Les Shooting Stars n'ont pas lâché prise depuis qu'ils se sont taillés au premier rang. D’ailleurs, ils ont remporté une série de trois victoires lors de leur dernière paire de matchs. L'objectif est maintenant de maintenir les bons moments tout au long du mois d'août. Quand est-il du reste de la conférence? Eh bien, bonne chance pour faire le tri dans tout ça. Oui... encore à ce jour. Les Honey Badgers de Brampton et les River Lions de Niagara, deux fois champions en titre, occupent une position favorable, chacun ayant remporter 10 victoires. La première équipe a encore trois matchs à jouer tandis que la seconde en a deux. Brampton, cependant, devra faire face à une tâche de taille en accueillant une équipe désespérée de Montréal avant de terminer la saison avec des matchs aller-retour contre les Shooting Stars. Ce ne sera pas facile non plus pour Niagara, qui se dirige vers l'ouest pour clore la saison sur la route contre le Mamba de Saskatoon et le Surge de Calgary. Mais les deux équipes peuvent compter sur leur pédigrée avec Sean East II, finaliste du joueur le plus utile en 2025, parmi les Honey Badgers, tandis que les River Lions comptent sur le double récipiendaire du titre de joueur le plus utile dans les finales, Khalil Ahmad, qui a été le joueur du match lors de leur récente victoire contre les BlackJacks d'Ottawa. La pression est forte pour les joueurs de la capitale nationale, qui sont à égalité avec l'Alliance de Montréal à 9-13 au bas de la conférence. L'Alliance termine sa saison régulière avec des matchs contre les Bandits de Vancouver et les Honey Badgers avant même que les BlackJacks ne reviennent sur le terrain. Ottawa saura ce qu'il faut faire lorsqu'elle visitera les Sea Bears de Winnipeg et les Stingers d'Edmonton pour clore sa saison. Bien sûr, si Ottawa et Montréal l'emportent, la pression sera exercée sur Niagara et Brampton. L'Est, comme c'est le cas depuis la plus grande partie du mois, demeure un fouillis. Conférence de l'Ouest Les choses sont un peu plus simples dans l'Ouest. Les Stingers d'Edmonton ont rendu les choses intéressantes, mais leur victoire 100-89 contre le Surge de Calgary dimanche leur a assuré la dernière place de la conférence en séries éliminatoires. Ils ont ainsi arrêté la renaissance en fin de saison de leur rival albertain et les ont empêchés d'atteindre les séries éliminatoires. Edmonton se joindra à Vancouver, Winnipeg et Saskatoon pour les séries éliminatoires, mais qui joue qui doit encore être décidé. Au sommet, les Bandits (14-8) détiennent une avance d'un match sur les Sea Bears (13-7). Encerclez dimanche dans votre calendrier, car les deux forces de l'Ouest se rencontreront en Colombie-Britannique pour leur finale de saison ce jour-là dans un affrontement qui pourrait déterminer le déroulement des séries éliminatoires. Si les choses s'alignent correctement, cela pourrait créer une atmosphère de type pseudo-éliminatoire au Langley Event Centre. Pendant ce temps, deux jours plus tôt, le Mamba et les Stingers s'affronteront dans une compétition qui pourrait avoir des répercussions sur la troisième place dans la capitale albertaine. En fin de compte, ils seront tous deux des underdogs sur la route contre les Bandits ou les Sea Bears. Mais s'ils ont une préférence d’adversaire, c'est là qu'ils pourraient aider à changer leurs destins. Finalement, Calgary a été réduit au rôle de saboteur, car l’équipe pourrait mettre fin à l'année des River Lions si elle inflige une défaite aux troupes de l'entraîneur Kimbal Mackenzie lors de leur dernier match. Ce serait une sacrée façon de terminer la campagne pour une équipe de Calgary qui a eu une énergie positive pendant la majeure partie de l'été, mais qui n'a tout simplement pas pu réparer les dégâts qu'elle a causés au début de la saison. Tout cela s'ajoute à ce qui devrait être une fin effrénée. Horaire hebdomadaire (11 matchs) Match #110 — Le mardi 28 juillet — VAN à MTL — 19 h 30 (HE)/16 h 30 (HP) — L’Auditorium de Verdun (CBC Gem, YouTube, RDS, CEBL+) Match #111 — Le mercredi 29 juillet — NRL à SSK — 19 h 30 (HNC)/21 h 30 (HE) — SaskTel Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Match #112 — Le jeudi 30 juillet — MTL à BHB — 19 h 30 (HE) – CAA Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Match #113 — Le vendredi 31 juillet — OTT à WPG — 19 h (HAC) / 20 h (HE) — Canada Life Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Match #114 — Le vendredi 31 juillet — SSK à EDM — 19 h (HNC)/(HR)/21 h (HE) — Edmonton EXPO Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Match #115 — Le vendredi 31 juillet — NRL à CGY — 19 h 30 (HR) / 21 h 30 (HE) – WinSport Event Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Match #116 — Le samedi 1er août — SSS à BHB — 19 h (HE) – CAA Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Match #117 — Le dimanche 2 août — WPG à VAN — 12 h 30 (HP)/14 h 30 (HAC)/15 h 30 (HE) — Envision Financial Court au Langley Events Centre (CBC, CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Match #118 — Le dimanche 2 août — OTT à EDM — 16 h (HR) / 18 h (HE) — Edmonton EXPO Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Match #119 — Le lundi 3 août — BHB à SSS — 16 h (HE) — Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Match #120 — Le lundi 3 août — CGY à SSK — 16 h (HNC)/(HR)/18 h (HE) — Merlis Belsher Place (CBC Gem, YouTube, CEBL+) Pour le calendrier complet de la LECB 2026, veuillez consulter cebl.ca/games .