Matthew Winick
The Fraser Valley Bandits (3-0) will look to maintain their perfect record as they take on the Ottawa BlackJacks at the Abbotsford Centre at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET.
Three straight wins by an average of over 20 points per game have the squad looking like early-season championship threats. Although the Bandits have benefitted from a lengthy home stretch to begin the year, there is no doubt that the team’s success is here to stay.
Their opponents, the Ottawa BlackJacks (1-2), are looking to play spoiler on Saturday. Flip-flopping wins and losses early in the season, the BlackJacks are looking to cement themselves in the middle of the pack.
Bandits buy-in
Although Bandits head coach David Singleton is in his first year at the helm, the Fraser Valley system is nothing new for him. Singleton was an assistant for last year’s head coach, Kyle Julius, who opted to remain in Taiwan, where he coaches year-round, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of Singleton’s major takeaways from his season with Julius – which led the team to a surprising championship game run, was Julius’ ability to get his players to buy-in to his system. It’s an approach that Singleton has successfully replicated this year.
Although Fraser Valley leads the CEBL in points per game, it doesn’t have any player in the top five individually in scoring. In fact, the Bandits don’t have a single 20-point per game scorer. Rather, they possess nine players averaging at least seven points.
“The buy-in’s been great. I think it’s a combination of guys like Marek (Klassen) and Malcom (Duvivier) returning to tell these guys exactly what it meant and what it was last year,” said Singleton earlier in the season, “And then the new faces, they’re out to prove themselves. In order to do that, you have to buy-in.”
Man in the Middle
Although Brandon Gilbeck may not lead the Bandits in scoring, his impact defensively may be equally as dominant. The former Western Illinois star has cemented himself as the CEBL’s elite shot blocker just three games into the year.
Gilbeck already has 10 blocks, including a game with five rejections alone. No other player in the league has accumulated more than five throughout the entire season. His impact goes beyond blocked shots too. At 7’0” tall, Gilbeck alters the shot of virtually any attempt in the paint.
Gilbeck’s presence is a major reason for Fraser Valley allowing only 73.6 points per game – also tops in the league. So long as he keeps protecting the rim at this rate, the Bandits will be tough to score on all season.
Familiar Faces
When the BlackJacks roll into Abbotsford, B.C. for Saturday’s game, multiple players on their roster will have previously worn the jersey of their opponents. Junior Cadougan and Kyle Johnson both played with the Bandits during the 2020 CEBL Summer Series, while Abbotsford native Joel Friesen played with the club in 2019.
For Cadougan and Johnson especially, their knowledge of the Singleton/Julius system should come in handy. Cadougan was the starting point guard last season – a position he’s been tasked with Ottawa as well, and his ability to run Fraser Valley’s offence may play a large role in stopping it too.
Given the way the Bandits have played this season, any advantage that the BlackJacks and head coach Charles Dubé-Brais can gain would go a long way to handing the CEBL’s only 3-0 team its first loss of the year.
All CEBL games will be available for live streaming on the CEBL’s new OTT streaming service CEBL+, cbcsports.ca , the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.
A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube