Kyle Julius

Vancouver Bandits
Position	General Manager／Head coach
League	CEBL
Personal information
Born	(1979-06-20) June 20, 1979 Thunder Bay, Ontario
Nationality	Canadian
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Career information
High school	Hammerskjold (Thunder Bay, Ontario) Cathedral (Hamilton, Ontario)
College	Furman (1998–2000) Guelph (2001–2004)
Career history
As coach:
2014–2015	Mississauga Power
2015–2017	London Lightning
2017–2019	Saigon Heat
2020	Fraser Valley Bandits
2019–2023	Formosa Taishin Dreamers
2023–present	Vancouver Bandits
Career highlights and awards
NBL Canada Coach of the Year (2017) NBL Canada Champion (2017)

Kyle Julius (born June 20, 1979) is a Canadian former professional basketball player and coach, He currently serves as General Manager and head coach for the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) for the Taiwanese team Formosa Taishin Dreamers of the ASEAN Basketball League and the P. League+, and general manager of the Fraser Valley Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. A former Canadian men's national team player, he has been considered one of Canada's most experienced and talented basketball minds. He shares training tips and basketball experience through short articles published on NorthPoleHoops.^[1]

Early life and career

Julius was born on June 20, 1979, and brought up in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He grew up playing ice hockey, a very popular sport in the area. However, his interest in basketball grew, and in Grade 8, he began training with Lakehead University's star point guard John LaPlante. He often did two-a-days under LaPlante's direction and was inspired by his work ethic. In Grades 9 and 10, Julius began training frequently with the Lakehead basketball team. He got into fights on numerous occasions.^[2] In his senior season of high school basketball, Julius played with Cathedral High School in Hamilton, Ontario. The team finished the year with an undefeated record, and he helped them win the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) AAA title in 1998 under coach Mark Walton.^[2][3] Julius averaged 14.0 points for the Gaels that season, shooting .500 on field goals and .480 from beyond the arc.^[4]

Julius did not have access to an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team in Thunder Bay. However, he constantly received advice from his father, Stu Julius, who coached college basketball in the area. Stu would often examine film and study the game with his sons.^[2] Kyle said that it became a part of his everyday life, and a majority of his conversations with his father concerned the game of basketball.^[2] He wrote on North Pole Hoops, "My dad opened the gym and my mom pushed me, basketball was our foundation and the game was my life."^[2]

Collegiate career

On April 10, 1998, Julius signed a National Letter of Intent to play with the Furman Paladins men's basketball team, which played at the NCAA Division I level. Paladins head coach Larry Davis approached Julius primarily because of his ability as a three-point shooter.^[4] Davis commented on Julius, "He is an outstanding shooter who has excellent overall guard skills and a tremendous worth ethic, and he has played in one of the best high school programs in North America with a perennial winning tradition."^[4] Julius became Furman's fifth recruit for the team's 1998–99 season.^[4] He later considered it one of his favorite moments of his entire career.^[5] Julius made his first appearance on the collegiate stage on November 14, 1998, against Stetson, helping the Paladins win the game, 66–59.

Julius was named to the NCAA SOCON All Rookie team, a major accomplishment for a freshman from Canada at that time.

Julius returned to Canada to play for the University of Guelph Gryphons for three OUA seasons from 2001–02 to 2003–04. He was a tournament all-star in 2003 when Guelph finished second in the national championship event in Halifax and he was a second-team All-Canadian, fourth in the country in scoring average (21.23 points per game) and the University of Guelph's male athlete of the year in his final season with the Gryphons.

Coaching career

Personal life

Julius is a well-known figure in the Canadian basketball community. He is the founder of A-Game Hoops, which is a highly successful off season, in season and post season basketball training system.

Julius has developed a reputation as one of Canada's best basketball skill and development instructors. He has developed over 50 Canadian high school players who went on to earn NCAA DI scholarships. He has trained over 100 professional players, including NBA players Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Olynyk, Anthony Bennett, Kevin Pangos and Andrea Bargnani. He has helped train 67 Canadians currently playing professionally in Europe. He developed and recruited players like Royce White, who won a NBL-Canada Championship with the London Lightning.

Julius is also the head coach for A-Game Hoops' Men's Developmental Team, which he has coached to 55–11 since 2007.^[13]

Accomplishments and awards

In 5 short years as a professional head coach, Kyle Julius has won Championships. In the process, he has set multiple league and franchise records while turning two organizations around on two separate sides of the world.

• In 2017, Kyle was hired by the Saigon Heat in the ABL to turn the team around and help build a new winning culture. Since arriving in Vietnam, Kyle has changed the entire culture and given the Saigon Heat their two best seasons in franchise history including their first playoff win ever.

• He has exceeded all expectations and guided the Heat from a 37% total win record to two consecutive winning seasons of 53% and a completely new organizational culture and winning mindset.

• In Canada, Julius spent two seasons with the London Lightning, taking them to the league finals both years. In 2016 the Lightning lost to Halifax in seven games. In 2017, London defeated Halifax in six games.

• Overall, his teams compiled a 61–19 regular season record and a 21–8 mark in the playoffs. In 2017 Julius set the league record for most wins in a single season with 35 – Regular season record of 35–5.

• The former All-Canadian from the University of Guelph was also a member of the Canadian National basketball team and played professionally in Italy before returning to North America.

• He was an outstanding three-point shooter, who was recruited to play NCAA Division-1 basketball at Furman and spent two seasons with the Paladins, making the Southern Conference All-Rookie team in 1998–99. His coaching career began almost immediately following the end of his run as a player. Kyle founded A-Game Hoops, a development program that works to develop basketball players at all levels, including the NBA.

References