Bandits Announce 2025 Training Camp Roster

Any casual observer of the Fraser Valley-Trinity Western U SPORTS men’s basketball game on Feb. 14 would not have noticed anything amiss. They would have watched as the Spartans withstood a late Cascades charge to win an overtime thriller. They would have seen – though, probably not paid any mind to – Ukrainian referee Andrii Babyk. But they could not have known that, just days earlier, Andrii’s brother, Viktor, was killed in war. “For my dad, basketball helps him to not think about anything,” explained Bogdan, Babyk’s 13-year-old son. Andrii continued: “When I have a game, it's two hours in the game, one hour in pre-game and one hour in post-game. These four hours, I think just for basketball in this time. And after again, I think about this situation. I'm calling my mom, my father, and we talk a lot. But for me, it’s important, when I said, ‘OK, I'll ref,’ I can’t cancel.” Babyk is a lifelong basketball junkie whose journey will take him to the CEBL for a Vancouver Bandits exhibition game on May 8, followed by some regular-season assignments. He and his family – wife Iulia, sons Dima, 23, and Bogdan, 13, and daughter Ieva, 5 — escaped Ukraine three years ago, relocating to West Vancouver, B.C. But even as they find a semblance of normalcy, Babyk’s parents and sister continue to reside, and fight, in an active warzone in Kiev. And so when Andrii received word of his brother’s death, he could hardly have been blamed for sitting out his scheduled game. He did not do that. “I have been a referee for 27 years and I never cancel my game. I don't do it yet,” he said. Babyk was originally introduced to the sport by a school friend, but his family lacked the funds to enroll him onto a proper team. Instead, he played his way on, convincing a coach to let him try out and earning twice-weekly practices. Quickly, two became five. Eventually, Babyk played on his high school team, won a provincial championship, then continued down the basketball path until a hard fall damaged his shoulders. “I have a problem three months, I can't move my shoulders and I understand I can't play after this, but I love basketball, what I can do the next step?” Babyk wondered. “I said, OK, I'm trying to ref.” Babyk showed up to his first game as a referee without a whistle – luckily, an older ref had an extra one and gave it to Babyk. He still remembers that first whistle, though 27 years later, it’s no longer in use. Meanwhile, Babyk also took up a position as general manager of the Ukraine women’s 3x3 team, which won silver at the world championships in China in 2016. Six years later, Russia invaded Ukraine. Suddenly, basketball suddenly took a back seat. The Babyks — who owned house, a store and two cars — suddenly had nothing. “We had everything. That's why I have three kids. I can give my kids what I want, you know? But when the war started, we lost this all,” Babyk said. Iulia, Bogdan and Ieva fled to Bulgaria, then to Vancouver, where they were welcomed by a host family. Andrii and Dima stayed behind in Kiev in an underground bunker for eight months. When they finally arrived in Vancouver, Ieva, then just two years old, did not recognize her dad. “She forgot my face, she doesn't know who I am. It's really heavy because [on FaceTime] she sees me and it's different when she sees me in life. And we cried, me, my kids. It's really heavy,” Babyk said. Iulia questioned her husband for not fighting in the war. “My wife asked me, ‘what are you doing? The war has started.’ I said, I need to help you save the kids.” Just before he got on a plane himself, Andrii made sure to find someone connected to Canadian basketball to get a foot in the door. Once he got settled, he sent a letter to the CEBL: … War is a dreadful experience. I am grateful that my large family, including my wife and three children, is safe in Canada and can sleep in beds, not in basements. … I aspire to return to refereeing at a high level and would be grateful for the opportunity to join your team. … Thank you for spending your time on me! I will justify what you give me the opportunity to become a part of the team. … It's now been three years since the Babyks first began arriving in Canada. Andrii has worked for Uber and Doordash as well as in construction. The family now lives in its own apartment near its original host. All the while, Babyk has stayed in touch with basketball, reffing in whatever leagues will let him on the court. Mike Thomson, a member of the CEBL Referee Advisory Team, said it didn’t take much longer than 10 minutes to recognize Babyk’s talent after he first saw him at a training camp. “You're always looking for somebody that can be adaptable, can be flexible and can learn very quickly,” Thomson explained. On the court, Babyk demonstrated a knack for discerning between contact with consequence and run-of-the-mill in-game physicality, Thomson said. “Andrii's game didn't need to get better. Andrii just needed to be comfortable in an environment that was culturally different,” Thomson said. “As a referee on the floor, he may not be able to respond as quickly and concisely verbally as somebody that, English is their first language. So he has to do it by demonstrating that he has a deep understanding of the game and earn respect immediately by showing that he understands the game.” Apparently, Babyk’s talents are genetic, too. Dima has also taken a liking to the ref stripes – he will work some CEBL games this season at the scorer’s table. But Thomson has higher aspirations for Dima. “There are no more than a small handful of officials in Canada that have the level of potential that Dima has. When you see Dima on the floor, you immediately go, that guy's a referee. Dima actually has the ‘it factor’ with him. He carries himself like a referee,” Thomson said. Babyk had a slightly different take on Dima. “I'm really critical father. Because Canada is really different culture. For me, when Dima have a mistake, I tell him. You need to do [this], need to do that. ‘Father, why you tell me that?’ Because I want to help.” Babyk worked his first CEBL game during pre-season last year. “I realized that this is a chance for me to show my boys Dima and Bogdan by my example — everything in life is possible — I CAN BE IN BASKETBALL - I CAN BE PART OF CANADIAN BASKETBALL AND BENEFIT AS A REFEREE,” he said in a text message. "If you were given a chance — then use it. And most importantly, never forget in your life how and when you got your first chance — APPRECIATE IT ALL YOUR LIFE. My credo in life — Where there's a will, there's a way." Indeed, Babyk’s background and story are undoubtedly unique among Canadian referees. Think back to that game at Fraser Valley now. “You talk about resilience — when I saw him that particular night out at Fraser Valley, it blew me away that he could go on the floor and completely compartmentalize that and referee the game without that on his mind,” Thomson said. You never would have known.

Nicholas has experience with the South Bay Lakers, Cleveland Charge and the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League

Rattlers training camp roster includes a mix of NBA and CEBL experiences players

Canadian fintech leader commits to cashback program on all CEBL ticket purchases for Neo Mastercard holders

The team’s 16-man preseason roster features experienced talent from CEBL, NBA G League, and top leagues around the world

Le personnel sera dirigé par le directeur général, James Derouin, et l’entraîneur-chef, David DeAveiro

The staff will be lead by general manager, James Derouin and head coach, David DeAveiro

Les BlackJacks d'Ottawa de la Ligue élite canadienne de basketball (LECB), la plus grande ligue sportive professionnelle du Canada, ont annoncé aujourd'hui que l'équipe a signé l'arrière Matt Coleman III pour un contrat pour la saison 2025. Le natif de Norfolk, en Virginie, fait son retour dans la LECB après avoir disputé la saison 2023 avec Ottawa, où il a pris part à neuf matchs et affiché des moyennes de 9,4 points, 4,1 passes décisives et 3,9 rebonds par rencontre, tout en menant l’équipe avec 1,7 interception par match. « Nous sommes ravis d’accueillir Matt de retour à Ottawa cette saison, » a déclaré James Derouin, directeur général des BlackJacks. « Son retour apportera une voix de vétéran à notre groupe, son style de leadership et son caractère ajoutant un élément essentiel à notre vestiaire au quotidien. Grâce à son éthique de travail et à son engagement, il contribuera à donner le ton pour notre équipe cette saison. » Arrière de 6 pi 2 po, il évolue durant la saison 2024-2025 avec le Hapoel Haifa en première division israélienne (BSL), où il mène l’équipe au chapitre des passes décisives totales (89) et des points par match (15,0), tout en partageant le premier rang pour les interceptions par match (1,6). Il a enregistré son tout premier double-double en carrière internationale en signant un sommet de saison de 29 points et 12 passes décisives, le 7 avril contre le Hapoel Upper Galilee Safed. Titulaire accompli pendant quatre saisons à l’Université du Texas, il a reçu de nombreuses distinctions au niveau universitaire, notamment deux sélections dans la troisième équipe All-Big 12 (2020, 2021), deux mentions honorables All-Big 12 (2018, 2019) et le titre de Joueur par excellence du tournoi Big 12 en 2021. Cette année-là, il a aidé les Longhorns à remporter le championnat de conférence grâce à une performance de 30 points en finale contre Oklahoma State, menée par Cade Cunningham, qui deviendra le premier choix du repêchage NBA 2021. Il a disputé un total de 13 matchs dans la NBA Summer League avec les Kings de Sacramento en 2021 et 2022, avant de poursuivre sa carrière professionnelle en Grèce, en Turquie et en Pologne. Son frère, Chase, a joué pendant quatre saisons avec l’Université de Virginie (2019-2023), tandis que son père, Clifford, ancien joueur à la Newport News Apprentice School (NCAA Division III), est actuellement entraîneur-chef au Bryant and Stratton Junior College à Newport News, en Virginie. Il est actuellement possible d'acheter des forfaits de billets flexibles en visitant le site theblackjacks.ca/fr-ca/tickets . Les abonnements de saison des BlackJacks 2025 sont disponibles dès maintenant. Pour plus de détails, les amateurs sont invités à envoyer un courriel à [email protected] ou à composer le 613-690-0519. ### À propos des BlackJacks d'Ottawa: Première franchise d'expansion de la Ligue élite canadienne de basketball (LECB), les BlackJacks d'Ottawa présentent le meilleur du basket-ball et du divertissement dans la capitale nationale. Le bureau de direction d'Ottawa apporte à la franchise son expérience de la NBA, de la NBA G League, de l'équipe nationale, de la NCAA et des grandes ligues professionnelles internationales. Dirigée par le directeur général James Derouin et l'entraîneur-chef Dave DeAveiro, l'équipe d'Ottawa joue ses matchs à domicile dans l'aréna de classe mondiale de la Place TD, dans le parc Lansdowne. Pour plus d'informations, visitez le site theblackjacks.ca .

In 2023, Coleman III appeared in nine games with the BlackJacks and averaged 9.4 points, 4.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds