Bandits Get Revenge Against Surge

MEGAN SWAIN/GATG

A rivalry for the ages has begun to emerge in the CEBL thanks in part to lingering bad blood from last season. The Vancouver Bandits came out on top in a messy, but energetic revenge game against Conference Rival the Calgary Surge. 

This game marks the first time both teams have faced each other since Calgary pulled off the upset and eliminated Vancouver in the Western Conference Semi Finals game, one that saw chaotic energy, a brilliant comeback for Vancouver in the third and fourth quarters and one of the most controversial endings to a CEBL game.

That particular game saw not one, but three fouls overturned by video review, any of which could have given the Bandits the win. Instead, the Surge won it and moved on in the playoffs when a fourth and final penalty resulted in Calgary’s Evan Gilyard II being awarded the necessary three free throws to seal his team’s victory.

The aftermath saw fans, players, and even coaching staff question how and why the league would allow that many calls to move directly to video review and whether that was the right move. In his final post game media scrum, Mitch Creek declared he would never play in the league again.

While Calgary drew first blood in this season’s first matchup, they could never get more than a three-point lead if and when they did manage to get one. Vancouver on the other hand consistently pulled away by the halfway mark of each quarter, eventually growing a reasonable thirteen-point lead towards the end of the game.

Neither team seemed particularly focused tonight, which was unsurprising given the circumstances. Trash talking was hardly surprising either, and players seemed to clash both verbally and physically more often than usual.

Head coach and General Manager, Kyle Julius, did not hold back when asked about his organization's feeling towards the Surge.

“Yeah, I hate those guys with a passion. And Gilyard not shaking our hand afterwards. So last year, when they beat us in the final here, the coach didn't shake our hand, they ran off. Gilyard didn't shake our hand. We beat their butts today, and he wouldn't shake our hand. I think it tells you a lot about, you know, that organization has had four coaches in four years, they're not shaking hands. I think that tells you a lot about those guys.”

In addition to the tumultuous history these two teams share, Julius was also not thrilled by the on court demeanor from Surge veteran Gilyard II.

“He was talking trash…You know, he just wanted to talk, and he's talking early in the game, and yeah, I mean, I'm looking forward to playing them again.”

The entire game had a messy, one-on-one feel not normally associated with Bandits basketball. From the start, defensive woes still peaked through, though Dominic Parolin was a bright spot in that department. No other time was that obvious than a brief moment in the third quarter that saw Parolin bat the ball out of a Surge players hands mid jump before chasing after it and successfully pawing it back towards his teammates before the ball could pass the sidelines. A mere matter of seconds later, Parolin sprints down the court to snag the assist on Jarkel Joiner’s three-point jump shot as a result of the play.

Coach Julius was quite pleased with how Parolin has performed so far in his first few professional games.

“He's a lot like James Karnick, he's under control, he knows what we're doing, he's relentless, he's diving on the floor, he has been probably my brightest surprise so far, my, you know, my happiest kind of, I guess you could call it surprise, because we know anytime a guy comes from college, you just don't really know what to expect right away, right?”

The season and the team’s performance hasn’t quite been as expected either, though they’ve still managed to come out of the first cluster of games with a 3-1 record. While the team is beyond happy to take the wins despite not performing at their ideal level yet, there’s still chemistry to be worked on to get to the point where they feel like they’re playing a cohesive game. The influx of new faces has certainly increased that challenge, and with more players that are in the works to join the team in the coming weeks, the coaching staff has their work cut out for them.

Jarkel Joiner is the most recent addition, though Coach Julius did acknowledge that he was originally meant to join the team at the beginning of the month. Joiner quickly got to work in the 36 hours since his signing announcement, coming out of the game with 22 points and a plus/minus of 24, the best of any of the Bandits for the night. Joiner seems to be having a blast so far, being thrown into a fresh rivalry with familiar faces.

“Oh man, it's fun, especially knowing the history with this team we played against…last year, so it was good… I know all them guys, I know most of the guys played in the [NBA G League]. You know, me and Tyrese played with each other at [The Raptors] 905. I played against Jalen [House] in the G, and John [Knight III] is from Mississippi as well, so we already knew each other, was familiar with each other's game.”

The Bandits are looking to build on that moment while working out some of the kinks heading into an Eastern Conference road trip where they’ll take on back-to-back reigning champs the Niagara River Lions, the Brampton Honey Badgers, and the Ottawa Blackjacks before returning to BC to host the Saskatoon Mamba at Hoopfest in Kelowna on June 6.