Once a Blue Devil, now a Bandit.
The Vancouver Bandits announced the signing of Stockton Kings guard and Duke University alumnus DJ Steward for the club’s upcoming 2023 Canadian Elite Basketball League season at Langley Events Centre (LEC).
The 6-foot 2-inch guard from Chicago, Ill., Steward recently completed his second season for the Stockton Kings, the NBA G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings.
“I am counting down until my arrival in Vancouver,” he shared.
“I can’t wait to play in front of the Bandits’ fanbase and to get to work with my teammates and coaching staff. We are excited to play together and to showcase an elite brand of competitiveness fuelled by intensity on both sides of the basketball,” Steward added.
Prior to Stockton, the 21-year-old guard starred under the tutelage of legendary basketball hall of famer and five-time NCAA tournament champion Mike Krzyzewski, who coached Steward during his 2020-21 freshman season at Duke.
Steward played at Duke for one season before declaring for the NBA draft.
In his lone season for the Blue Devils, Steward started 22 of 24 games and averaged 13 points, 2.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals on 42.6 per cent shooting from field goal range.
Steward led all Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) freshmen in scoring and was named to the ACC all-freshman team for his stellar play.
A graduate of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Steward was named Illinois player of the year by the Chicago Sun-Times, and healso earned further recognition when he was announced as a member of the prestigious 2020 McDonald’s All-American roster.
A tremendous senior season led Steward to be ranked 25th in ESPN’s annual rankings of the top graduating high school players in the United States, said Bandits head coach and general manager Kyle Julius.
“DJ is a special young player with a world of potential,” Julius added.
“He has elite scoring instincts and high-level athleticism. I am really excited about working with DJ and helping him grow and develop this summer.”
The Bandits tip-off the 2023 CEBL campaign on Saturday, May 27, when the club takes on the Winnipeg Sea Bears at Canada Life Centre.
Hometown fans will have their first chance to watch Steward and company on home soil at 7 p.m.
A key highlight of Vancouver’s fifth CEBL campaign will be its hosting of Championship Weekend, which takes place between Friday and Sunday, from Aug. 11 to 13. An annual celebration of the highest level of Canadian professional basketball, Championship Weekend features a postseason format that combines three games of playoff basketball as part of a multi-day festival experience designed to celebrate the intersection of arts, culture and sport.
As hosts of Championship Weekend, the Bandits receive an automatic semifinal berth.
on Saturday, June 3, when Vancouver welcomes the Calgary Surge for its first-ever visit to LEC.
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