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CEBL Vancouver Bandits

Vancouver Bandits Announce Schedule for 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball Season

January 24, 2023 - Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)
Vancouver Bandits News Release


LANGLEY, B.C. - The Vancouver Bandits announced Tuesday the club's 2023 regular season schedule, a 20-game slate that will see the club open its fifth Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season on Saturday, May 27 against the Winnipeg Sea Bears.

This will be the Bandits' second season at Langley Events Centre (LEC) and its first under the 'Vancouver' moniker after announcing its rebrand and sale in Sept. 2022.

The Bandits open the upcoming campaign in the Prairies against Winnipeg Sea Bears and the Saskatchewan Rattlers before returning to the Lower Mainland for a highly anticipated home opener on Saturday, June 3 against the newly launched Calgary Surge. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT.

Vancouver will play a total of 10 home games during the 2023 season between Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, July 23. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road against the Scarborough Shooting Stars on Sunday, July 30 at 4 p.m. PT.

After achieving its strongest average and total attendance in 2022, the Bandits are primed to welcome even bigger crowds in 2023 as part of an electric season of basketball, which culminates Aug. 9-13 when Vancouver hosts 2023 Championship Weekend at LEC.

As hosts of Championship Weekend, Vancouver receives an automatic berth in the semifinals. Tickets for Championship Weekend are included in the cost of Bandits season tickets, which are slated to be available for sale in the coming days. Fans wishing to learn more about season tickets or speak with a Bandits sales and service representative are encouraged to call (604) 455-8870, email tickets@thebandits.ca, or visit https://www.thebandits.ca/bandits-at-langley-events-centre to register their interest and be notified of upcoming ticket on-sale dates.

"This season is a special one for us. We are celebrating five years of building connections with our community and are eager to continue growing our passionate fanbase, which has supported us since our inaugural season. Our fans are the inspiration behind our goal of being one of the best professional sports and entertainment experiences in B.C.," said Bandits team president Dylan Kular.

"We can't wait to host Championship Weekend at Langley Events Centre, which will serve as a great culmination of what will prove to be another exciting year of Bandits basketball. Fans will relish the chance to be part of our season and attend a multi-day playoff festival that offers a fun atmosphere for guests of all ages and showcases a riveting caliber of Canadian professional basketball."

"In the coming days, our ticket service team and I will present the market with 2023 Vancouver Bandit Ticketing Options featuring great ways fans can take in evenings of professional basketball at the beautiful Langley Events Centre," added Kular. "Highlights include an introduction of new family friendly pricing throughout our arena bowl, new rows of courtside seating - including one of our centre court seating sections that has extra cushioned seats, in-seat food and drink service and your own personal cup holder. For those who want to bring their youth and adult sports teams together or businesses who wish to thank those important to them, we will offer a specially priced Group Outing Seating Program and opportunities to entertain guests in one of our fully equipped Executive Suites."

Vancouver will play each of its fellow CEBL opponents at least once during the 2023 season and will host each of the Edmonton Stingers, as well as the Calgary Surge and Winnipeg Sea Bears, twice at LEC.

The CEBL will introduce a conference model of competition for the 2023 season. The league's 10 teams will be divided into an Eastern and Western Conference. The Western Conference includes the Calgary Surge, Edmonton Stingers, Saskatchewan Rattlers, Vancouver Bandits and Winnipeg Sea Bears. The Eastern Conference includes the Brampton Honey Badgers, Montréal Alliance, Niagara River Lions, Ottawa BlackJacks, and Scarborough Shooting Stars. The Bandits, along with the top-ranked team from the Eastern Conference, will automatically be seeded into the semifinals hosted at Championship Weekend.

The CEBL postseason will feature play-in games between the third and fourth-ranked teams in each conference. Winners will advance to the quarterfinals and play the second-best team of their respective conferences. The fifth-ranked team in each conference will be eliminated unless Vancouver places fifth in the west in which case the fourth-ranked west team will get eliminated. Quarterfinal winners in each conference will play their respective conference teams already seeded in the semifinals. The full postseason schedule will be revealed at a later date.

Returning as a key part of the Bandits' regular season calendar is the club's School Day Game, which will take place on Tuesday, June 6 at 11 a.m. PT when Vancouver tips off against Winnipeg. The sold-out affair was hosted for the first time last season and welcomed 13 schools from across the Lower Mainland for a field trip featuring professional basketball and family-friendly entertainment.

School leaders interested in learning more about the School Day Game or organizing attendance at the event are kindly asked to contact team president Dylan Kular at dkular@thebandits.ca.

The Championship Weekend semifinals will be played on Friday, August 11, followed by the championship on Sunday, August 13. The Bandits have qualified for the CEBL postseason in each of the past three consecutive seasons (2020-22) under the direction of head coach and general manager Kyle Julius.

The 2023 season marks Julius' return to the CEBL sidelines for the first time since 2020 when he led the Bandits to the finals. COVID-19 restrictions and overlapping schedules resulted in Julius serving solely as the Bandits' general manager since 2021. After a tremendous run at the 2020 single-site CEBL season, which was played in St. Catharines, Ont., 2023 marks Julius' first opportunity to coach professionally on B.C. soil.

The Bandits' longest home stand is in the latter half of the season when the Ottawa BlackJacks, Brampton Honey Badgers and the Montréal Alliance pay visit to LEC on July 9, 14 and 16th, respectively.

All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on the CEBL's OTT platform, CEBL+, and on CEBL Mobile, the official app of the CEBL (available on Android and iOS devices). The schedule of nationally televised games will be announced at a later date.

Highlights of the 2023 Vancouver Bandits schedule include:

The Bandits will play the Winnipeg Sea Bears more than any other CEBL opponent, totaling four times during the regular season (twice at home, twice on the road)

Vancouver's longest road swing arrives early in the season when the club travels east for a three-game trip against the Brampton Honey Badgers, Niagara River Lions and Calgary Surge on June 9, 10 and 14th, respectively

They don't call it the 'Wild West' for nothing. The Bandits will play a total of 13 games against opponents from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; including three games each against Albertan rivals in the Calgary Surge and Edmonton Stingers

The 2023 season marks the first time that the Bandits will tip off against the Calgary Surge and Winnipeg Sea Bears. Both clubs were announced as new privately owned CEBL clubs last fall

The Bandits will play four home games in June and six home games in July prior to hosting CEBL Championship Weekend in August, which has previously been held in Ottawa (2022), Edmonton (2021) and Saskatoon (2019)

Vancouver Bandits 2023 CEBL season schedule:

*Note: All times PT | Home dates are in bold

Saturday, May 27, 2023 at Winnipeg | 5:00 p.m. at Canada Life Centre

Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at Saskatchewan | 6:00 p.m. at SaskTel Centre

Saturday, June 3, 2023 vs. Calgary | 7:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre (Doors open: 5:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 vs. Winnipeg | 11:00 a.m. at Langley Events Centre (Doors open: 9:30 a.m.)

Friday, June 9, 2023 at Brampton | 4:00 p.m. at CAA Centre

Saturday, June 10, 2023 at Niagara | 4:00 p.m. at Meridian Centre

Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at Calgary | 6:00 p.m. at WinSport Event Centre

Saturday, June 17, 2023 vs. Saskatchewan | 7:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre (Doors open: 5:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at Winnipeg | 5:00 p.m. at Canada Life Centre

Sunday, June 25, 2023 vs. Calgary | 5:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre (Doors open: 3:30 p.m.)

Saturday, July 1, 2023 vs. Edmonton | 7:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre (Doors open: 5:30 p.m.)

Monday, July 3, 2023 at Edmonton | 1:00 p.m. at Flair Airlines Hangar at Edmonton ExpoCentre

Sunday, July 9, 2023 vs. Ottawa | 7:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre (Doors open: 5:30 p.m.)

Friday, July 14, 2023 vs. Brampton | 7:30 p.m. at Langley Events Centre (Doors open: 6:00 p.m.)

Sunday, July 16, 2023 vs. Montréal | 5:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre (Doors open: 3:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, July 19, 2023 at Saskatchewan | 6:30 p.m. at SaskTel Centre

Friday, July 21, 2023 vs. Edmonton | 7:30 p.m. at Langley Events Centre (Doors open: 5:00 p.m.)

Sunday, July 23, 2023 vs. Winnipeg | 7:00 p.m. at Langley Events Centre (Doors open: 5:30 p.m.)

Thursday, July 27, 2023 at Ottawa | 4:30 p.m. at TD Place

Sunday, July 30, 2023 at Scarborough | 4:00 p.m. at Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre

More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.

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