The Fraser Valley Bandits have signed current University of the Fraser Valley Cascades men’s star and Tamanawis Secondary grad Sukhjot Bains.
The Surrey native makes his professional debut for the Bandits tonight (Thursday) when they take on the Saskatchwan Rattlers in Saskatoon.
SIGNED: Sukhjot Bains is the newest member of the Bandits. Surrey's finest is ready to prove 'em. Sukhjot debuts tonight against the @SASK_Rattlers at 6 p.m. PT on https://t.co/RDfIvswPKG and @cbcsports.
— Fraser Valley Bandits (@FV_Bandits) June 27, 2019
🗞️: https://t.co/OZlkjJ7Ubp#StealTheShow x #HoldCourt pic.twitter.com/GXRVKtfazU
Bains’ roots run throughout BC’s basketball landscape. After leading Tamanawis to the B.C. 4A Final Four in 2013-14, Bains was voted B.C.’s top Grade 12 high school boys basketball player in a poll conducted by The Province newspaper. The honour came after Bains averaged 28.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in his senior high school season.
After Tamanawis, Bains’ basketball journey then took him to Peddie Prep in New Jersey. His solid play led to an offer from Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. In his second season at Northwest College, Bains averaged 13.4 points and eight rebounds per game, which prompted an offer from NCAA Division 1 school, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Bains spent just one season at Wisconsin-Green Bay before an opportunity to shine on home soil at the U Sports level called his name. With one season of NCAA Division 1 basketball under his belt, an opportunity to play alongside his brother, Navjot, in his senior year at the UFV resonated for Sukhjot. In his first season for the Cascades, Bains averaged 12.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 32.4 minutes per game.
“I am extremely happy to have this opportunity. The Fraser Valley raised me, and the opportunity to show kids from Surrey and throughout the region that their dreams are possible is an absolute honour,” he stated in a press release. “I am hoping to be a role model for youth of all ages and backgrounds by showing that if they work hard enough in the classroom and on the court, they can achieve these types of opportunities.”
The Bandits, who sport a record of 0-9, next home game occurs on July 4, when the Guelph Nighthawks come to town.