Vancouver Bandits GM Kyle Julius will return to the sidelines as the club鈥檚 head coach for its 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season at 91原创 Events Centre (LEC).

The team made the announcement Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Julius previously served as the Bandits鈥� head coach in 2020 when he led the Bandits to the CEBL finals.

In 2021 and 2022, Julius continued his tenure as general manager but stepped away from the CEBL sidelines due to overlapping seasons with Plus League, a Taiwanese men鈥檚 professional basketball league, where he has coached the Formosa Dreamers since 2019.

The upcoming campaign will be the CEBL鈥檚 fifth season. As hosts of 2023 Championship Weekend, Vancouver will receive an automatic berth in the semifinals one of four teams competing for the CEBL Chamionship trophy.

鈥淚 could not be more excited about the opportunity to join our president Dylan Kular, our new owners and the rest of the Bandits family for a fourth straight summer. We have a distinguished new ownership group and there is an awesome energy in our organization. I can鈥檛 wait to get back to Vancouver and get to work,鈥� Julius said.

鈥� COVID-19 and my schedule in Taiwan has kept me off the CEBL sidelines the past two summers but our 2023 season is a great opportunity to come home and compete ahead of hosting Championship Weekend.鈥�

鈥淒espite not having the opportunity to coach in the CEBL the past two seasons, Kyle鈥檚 impact has permeated throughout our organization since we earned a berth in the 2020 finals,鈥� said Bandits president Dylan Kular.

鈥淜yle鈥檚 commitment to excellence and creating programs for our basketball operations staff to help players get better is a big part of the team-first culture that we are building in Vancouver for players and staff to be part of. Fans are going to love Kyle鈥檚 connection with the community and will enjoy his fast-paced style of basketball.鈥�

A standout at the University of Guelph from 2001-04, Julius played professionally overseas in Italy and was a member of Canada鈥檚 senior men鈥檚 national team in 2005.

He trained several of Canada鈥檚 NBA and overseas stars. More than 75 alumni of Julius鈥� training program went on to receive scholarships to universities and colleges in Canada and the United States.

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