LANGLEY, B.C. , April 13, 2022 – The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Wednesday that the club has signed a key member of its 2019 roster, Chris McLaughlin, for the upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season at Langley Events Centre (LEC).

The former University of Victoria Vike and U SPORTS (formerly known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport) first team all-Canadian suited up in six games for the Bandits in 2019, averaging 12 points, 7.8 rebounds (2.5 offensive) and 0.8 blocks per game on 54.3 and 75.9 per cent shooting from the field and free throw line, respectively.

McLaughlin posted two double-doubles during his 2019 campaign with the Bandits and helped Fraser Valley earn its first victory in club history on June 27, 2019, when he scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in just shy of 22 minutes of action.

“I am looking forward to returning to the Bandits for the upcoming season. It was clear in 2019 that the Valley was ready for a professional team and it has been awesome to watch the growth of the club from afar while playing in Hong Kong. I know that the organization has championship expectations and I am excited to join a group that is keen to get going and to play some great basketball in front of our fans at LEC,” McLaughlin said.

This past 2021-22 season, Mclaughlin took his talents overseas and played for Nam Ching of the South China Athletic Association (SCAA). He scored a season-high 40 points and 18 rebounds on Jan. 5 against Able Hon Friends. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hong Kong professional league was put on hold and McLaughlin’s season was cut short.

Prior to the Bandits, McLaughlin played for Basket Swans Gmunden in Austria. The 2015-16 campaign was his first professional season after a decorated five-year career with the Vikes. McLaughlin averaged 10.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game over 39 games played in Austria.

“Chris McLaughlin brings the physical post defense, rim protection and inside scoring that is part of every successful team. It is great to have another experienced player returning and Chris' hardworking and tough playing style is great for Fraser Valley fans to identify with. We are looking forward to training camp and tipping off the season,” Bandits head coach Mike Taylor said.

A 6-foot-10 centre from Oakville, Ont., McLaughlin played at Victoria from 2010-2015 and elevated his game in each season with the Vikes, increasing his points, rebounds, free throw percentage and totals, as well as his minutes played per game in each successive season. His final season saw the imposing forward average 19.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. The Vikes finished fourth at the U SPORTS Final 8 national championship in 2015.

For his efforts, McLaughlin earned multiple end-of-year accolades, including Canada West player of the year and first team all-star, as well as U SPORTS first team All-Canadian honours following the 2014-15 season.

Fraser Valley opens its fourth CEBL season on the road on Wednesday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. PT against the Ottawa BlackJacks. Following a three-game road swing to start the year, the Bandits will make their debut at LEC against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Saturday, June 4 at 2 p.m. PT.

Full and partial season packages are available for purchase at thebandits.ca/tickets . Fans are kindly asked to call (604) 866-0529 or email [email protected] for any questions or ticket related inquiries. Fans can also fill out this form to register their interest for tickets and to arrange to be contacted directly by a team representative.

All CEBL regular season games will be livestreamed on the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca , the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices and CEBL+ .

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