Portugal To Abbotsford

The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Tuesday that they have signed forward John Fields (6’9”) from Fayetteville, North Carolina  for the upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League season.

He recently played in the 2019-20 season for União Desportiva (U.D.) Oliveirense in Portugal’s Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol (LPB) and finished second in team scoring. 

He finished the season with 16.3 points per game (PPG), second in field goal (FG) shooting at 60.6 % and first in rebounds with 10.1 per game where his team was ranked fourth in the 14-team LPB with a record of 14-8. 

He played NCAA Division I b-ball for four years with East Carolina University (2006-08) at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (2009-10) and Tennessee for the 2010-11 season.

His NCAA career started with the East Carolina Pirates that saw him ranked third in scoring (9.5 PPG) and named to the conference’s All-Freshman team. 

He led the team with 1.9 blocks per game (49 total), field goal percentage (62.4) and free throw attempts with 134 where he eventually transferred to UNCW following his second season with the Pirates. 

He also set a single-school record for rebounds in a game with 21 against Towson and an additional school record for blocks in a season with 59. 

Fields capped off a solid collegiate career with the Volunteers where he started 18 of the 34 games and averaged 11.6 minutes per game and led Tennessee in field goal percentage (58.7%) , also leading with 41 blocked shots, finishing his NCAA career with 204 blocks through 114 games.

He mentioned “I am excited to join a motivated group that is focused on building a team that prioritizes a family-first culture, making an impact in the community and winning. I look forward to bringing my toughness in the post, providing leadership and working with Coach Julius and the rest of the team.”

Bandits Head Coach/GM Kyle Julius ironically was the Head Coach for the Saigon Heat and developed a familiarity and knowledge of his game and impressive play. 

Fields averaged 21.6 points on 53 per cent from the field, 36.7 minutes, 12.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 blocks per game in 36 games. 

Fields won Defensive Player of the Year and the Slingers lost 3-2 in the finals against the CLS Knights of Indonesia in a best of five championship series.

Bandits Head Coach/GM Kyle Julius mentioned “John is a big and strong physical five and is another player that I have met in Asia and plays the game with toughness and a resilient motor managing consistent success in high level leagues.” 

Thanks to the Fraser Valley Bandits for the press release and we welcome John Fields to the Abbotsford area and the Fraser Valley.