The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Thursday that the team will be hosting a Player ID Camp at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 inside the Envision Financial Athletic Centre’s South Gymnasium.
Players must no longer have U SPORTS or Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility in order to register. Players should either have graduated from university or college, or have exhausted their post-secondary athletics eligibility.
To be considered for the camp, eligible players must register onlineand send a CV with direct contact information and a summary of professional, athletic and academic achievements, as well as a video highlight package or link to info@thebandits.ca. Players who register, but fail to send the necessary information will not be considered for the camp.
Bandits head coach and general manager, Peter Guarasci, as well as assistant coaches, Virgil Hill and Kyle Graves, will vet all players’ applications. The deadline to register is 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 25. Players selected to attend the Player ID Camp will be contacted directly within 48 hours of registering and submitting their credentials.
“This is a great opportunity to showcase the hotbed of basketball talent that is present in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley regions,” said Guarasci in a news release. “UFV is the perfect proving ground for some of our province’s upcoming, overlooked and underrated players to compete for a spot on the Bandits’ roster. “Basketball is a sport for lifelong learners. Whether you’re a late bloomer or a talent on the rise, this is a chance to measure yourself against fellow high-caliber players.”
The Bandits open their inaugural season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) on Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m. against the Guelph Nighthawks at the Bandits’ home venue, Abbotsford Centre.
Modelled after top international professional leagues, the CEBL is comprised of teams in Fraser Valley (Abbotsford), Hamilton, Edmonton, Guelph, Niagara (St. Catharines), and Saskatchewan (Saskatoon). The Bandits will play a 20-game regular season from May 9 to August 15, culminating with a league championship playoff at a site to be announced.
