Vancouver Bandits has selected a total of three homegrown players 鈥� all hailing from the Lower Mainland 鈥� in Nikola Guzina from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Mikyle Malabuyoc from the University of Western Ontario (UWO) and David Mutabazi from Trinity Western University at the seventh annual Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) Draft.
The 91原创-based pro basketball team made the announcement Thursday, April 10.
Guzina was selected by the Bandits 10th overall in the first round, followed by Malabuyoc who was chosen in the second round, 11th overall, while Mutabazi completed the 2025 draft class in the final round, 30th overall.
鈥淲e are all really excited about the opportunity to work with this draft class,鈥� said Bandits head coach and general manager, Kyle Julius. 鈥淲e have a strong mandate to draft locally in order to grow and develop the game in BC. Working with this group and giving them the opportunity to earn pro minutes this summer aligns perfectly with our mandate.鈥�
All players selected in the CEBL Draft were signed to a Developmental Player Contract, therefore retaining a student-athlete鈥檚 eligibility for the 2025-26 post-secondary basketball season. CEBL teams are incentivized to have developmental players on their active roster as up to a maximum of three will not count against a club鈥檚 per game active roster salary cap.
Guzina, a 6' 10" forward from Vancouver, recently completed his fourth season at UBC where he earned Canada West Third Team All-Star honours. After a shortened junior year due to injury, Guzina experienced a bounce back season in 2024-25 averaging 21.0 minutes, 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 29 games (26 starts) while finishing in double figures on 18 occasions.
Malabuyoc, a 5' 10" guard from Vancouver, was picked in the second round. He recently completed his sophomore year at the University of Western Ontario in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference and attended Vancouver College prior to his post-secondary career.
During the 2024-25 season, Malabuyoc placed fourth in total assists across all U SPORTS players with 116 helpers, while his 654 total minutes played led all Mustangs. He averaged 28.6 minutes, 12.4 points, 5.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.7 rebounds per game on 48.8 per cent shooting from field goal range over the course of 23 games played.
Closing out the Bandits鈥� 2025 draft class is 6' 5" guard David Mutabazi of Trinity Western University. Born in Kirinda, Rwanda and now calling 91原创 home, he averaged 12.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals in 23 games played during the 2024-25 season. Additionally, Mutabazi recorded 164 total rebounds during the 2024-25 season, which placed him in the top 10 among all U SPORTS men鈥檚 basketball players.
Prior to transferring to TWU, Mutabazi played for Columbia Bible College in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) during the 2021-22 season, where he led the Bearcats in points, rebounds, assists, steals and field goals made and was named the team鈥檚 Most Valuable Player.
Bandits tip-off the 2025 CEBL campaign on Thursday, May 15 when the club hits the road to take on the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Fans will have their first chance to watch the club at home in the 91原创 Events Centre on Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m. when Vancouver hosts the Niagara River Lions in a rematch of the 2024 CEBL Final. Vancouver will play a total of 12 regular season home games in 2025 between Thursday, May 22 and Sunday, August 3. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road in Ottawa on Sunday, Aug. 10.
