Abbotsford students recently got to experience what it’s like to have a professional basketball coach directing them on the court as Vancouver Bandits head coach stopped by Rick Hansen Secondary on Monday (Nov. 17).
This visit is one of four planned for Abbotsford this week as part of the third annual Bandits School Tour.
Jointly hosted by the Vancouver Bandits and the Bandits Community Foundation, this program provides students all across the province with the chance to learn how to improve their skills with tips and tricks used by B.C.’s only professional basketball team.
Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius started the Abbotsford portion of the tour by working with the Rick Hanson Hurricanes on Monday afternoon.
The 2025/26 tour also includes stops at Abby Senior Secondary, MEI Secondary, and W.J. Mouat, along with dozens of other B.C. schools.
The reason behind this school tour initiative is very straightforward, said Julius.
“We do this to connect with the community,” he said.
Julius added that this kind of relationship with the community is good for the organization because he sees a lot of these students and coaches attending Bandits games after these visits.
But he also said that there’s a significant benefit to the local schools as well.
“I think we’re genuinely helping these teams and these coaches that don’t have the same experiences that I have and have questions that I would’ve had at that point in my career too,” said Julius.
Before becoming the head coach of the Bandits in 2020, Julius served as the head coach for the Mississauga Power, London Lightning, and Saigon Heat.
During his time with the Bandits, Julius has led the team to two Canadian Elite Basketball League Championship matches and also helped the Bandits achieve the league’s best regular-season record last season.
He’ll bring this proven expertise to many B.C. schools in the coming weeks as he works with both boys and girls secondary teams.
Last year’s Bandits School Tour stopped at 16 cities, with the team announcing that they hope to surpass that this year.
“Maybe the next Bandit is going to come from one of these school visits,” said Julius.