The 91原创-based Bandits have a new signing and a re-signing.
The Vancouver Bandits re-signed a core member of its roster by inking seasoned Team Canada guard and 2023 team defensive player of the year Duane Notice.
Koby McEwen will be bringing international and NBC G League experience to the Bandits.
Notice averaged 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 25 minutes per game while nailing 40.6 per cent of his three-point attempts to lead all Vancouver players in accuracy from long-range and to also rank among the top 10 marksmen in the entire CEBL last summer.
Thanks to his late-game heroics, Notice quickly became a fan favourite with Vancouver. He scored three target score game winners in just his first season with the club, which ties him for fourth all-time among Bandits players. Notice converted his game winners against Niagara (June 10), Calgary (June 14) and Ottawa (July 27), respectively.
鈥淒uane means so much to our organization and our culture. His consistent effort to put the team first combined with his toughness and resiliency is very special to us. Duane was our most efficient player on both sides of the ball last year and we are truly grateful that he is back with us as one of our leaders and captains,鈥� Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius said
After scoring in double figures once through the first half of the 2023 CEBL season, Notice heated up to score in double figures three times in the final eight games of Vancouver鈥檚 campaign; including a season-high outburst in scoring against Winnipeg on July 23 when he tallied 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting from three-point distance.
鈥淰ancouver! We have unfinished business. I am happy to be back out west with the Bandits family and give my all on court for the best fans in the CEBL,鈥� Notice said.
Hailing from Toronto, Ont., Notice is a prominent name in the Canadian basketball scene and previously played in the CEBL for the Brampton Honey Badgers (formerly known as Hamilton) in 2019 and 2020. Over his two years with the Honey Badgers, Notice averaged 29.7 minutes, 13.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Prior to the Honey Badgers, Notice spent two seasons and played 80 games with the Toronto Raptors鈥� NBA G League affiliate, the Raptors 905, between 2018-2020. In 2018-19 with the 905, Notice averaged 10 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game on 38.5 per cent shooting from three-point range.
Notice has represented Team Canada at six different tournaments and has played a combined total of 30 international games throughout his career, both as a member of the junior men鈥檚 and senior men鈥檚 national teams.
Known as a two-way player, Notice suited up for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks from 2013-17 and is the school鈥檚 all-time leader in games played with 138. Over the course of five collegiate seasons in the SEC, Notice averaged 28.9 minutes, 10.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists per game on 36.6 per cent shooting from three-point distance.
Notice鈥檚 selfless play was recognized during the 2015-16 season when he was named the SEC鈥檚 sixth man of the year. In 2017 Notice garnered further accolades when he helped lead the Gamecocks to the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
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Koby McEwen
The club has signed 2022 Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) champion Koby McEwen for the club鈥檚 upcoming season of professional basketball at 91原创 Events Centre (LEC).
The 2024 campaign will be McEwen鈥檚 third year in the CEBL after spending his previous two seasons with the Brampton Honey Badgers.
The 26-year-old native from Toronto, Ont. departs Brampton as the franchise鈥檚 all-time leader in minutes played (1123) and assists (155). McEwen ranked first on the Honey Badgers in minutes played (31.9 per game) as well as assists per game (5.4) last season. His 13.7 points per game placed him second in scoring behind only Christian Vital, whom McEwen won a CEBL championship alongside in 2022. To cap off a strong 2022 season, McEwen also took home CEBL Sixth Man of the Year honours.
鈥淚 am excited to be joining an organization with the potential to do so many great things in this league. We have an opportunity to bring a championship to this city and to the fans who support us throughout the season. I am excited to embark on this new journey with the Bandits and work tirelessly to contribute to winning. I鈥檓 all in!鈥� McEwen said.
Although just two years into his young professional career, McEwen has developed a reputation as a reliable scorer and clutch performer who is capable of making his teammates better. In the 2022 CEBL championship game he scored 16 points in just 24 minutes played; including three three-pointers.
Fast forward to 2023 and McEwen continued to establish himself as one of the CEBL鈥檚 premier guards, nailing 82 per cent of his attempts from the free throw line, which placed him first in the CEBL among eligible players.
A 6-foot-4 combo guard, his strong play in the CEBL has set the stage for an impressive international career; including stints with Norrk枚ping (Sweden) in the prestigious FIBA Europe Cup and his current club GTK Gliwice in Poland.
McEwen has also represented Canada on the international stage, suiting up for the red and white at both the FIBA U16 Americas Championship in 2013 and FIBA U17 World Cup in 2014.
Further enhancing McEwen鈥檚 solid resum茅 is his tenure of success in North America. McEwen starred at Utah State University for two seasons before transferring to Marquette University. McEwen wrapped up five years of NCAA Division I basketball at Weber State in 2021-22 where he was named 2022 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and earned first-team All-Big Sky honours after finishing fourth in the conference in scoring with 18.2 points per game.
After graduating from Weber State in 2022 and beginning his professional career in 2022-23, McEwen culminated a strong pro rookie season by playing for his hometown Raptors 905, the NBA G League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors. He played in seven games and scored a season-high 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting on March 25, 2023, versus the Greensboro Swarm.
鈥淜oby was one of the top Canadian free agents in our league. Koby embodies our culture and the way we want to play. He is a two-way threat and someone we have targeted the past three years. I can鈥檛 wait to have him join our family and enhance our culture,鈥� said Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius.
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Home opener
Season tickets as well as flex packs are currently on sale for the Bandits鈥� sixth CEBL campaign and are available for purchase at this link. Single game tickets are expected to go on sale later this spring.
Fans will get their first opportunity to watch the Bandits on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. PT when Vancouver opens its season at home when the Montr茅al Alliance visit 91原创 Events Centre.
Vancouver will play a total of 10 regular season home games in 2024 between Thursday, May 23 and Thursday, July 18. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road against Montr茅al on Sunday, July 28 at 1 p.m. PT.
All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on TSN+, as well as the CEBL鈥檚 OTT platform, CEBL+, and on CEBL Mobile, the official app of the CEBL (available on Android and iOS devices).
Season tickets as well as flex packs are currently on sale for the Bandits鈥� sixth CEBL campaign and are available for purchase at this link. Single game tickets are expected to go on sale later this spring.
Fans will get their first opportunity to watch the Bandits on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. PT when Vancouver opens its season at home when the Montr茅al Alliance visit 91原创 Events Centre.
Vancouver will play a total of 10 regular season home games in 2024 between Thursday, May 23 and Thursday, July 18. The Bandits wrap up regular season action on the road against Montr茅al on Sunday, July 28 at 1 p.m. PT.
All CEBL regular season games including playoffs will be live-streamed on TSN+, as well as the CEBL鈥檚 OTT platform, CEBL+, and on CEBL Mobile, the official app of the CEBL (available on Android and iOS devices).
Individuals interested in learning more about tickets for the Vancouver Bandits鈥� upcoming 2024 season are kindly asked to call (604) 455-8881 or email tickets@thebandits.ca. A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here.
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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