In one corner, you had the Stockton Kings, owners of the best record in the league (9-1) and riding a four-game winning streak.
In the other was the Birmingham Squadron, sitting at 1-10 and reeling from 10 consecutive losses.
Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Twitter @adamsonsl
The Kings topped the Squadron in almost every statistical category coming into Saturday’s clash at Legacy Arena, so it was a solid bet they’d add to the home team’s misery.
If you made that bet, however, you lost.
Birmingham took the fight to Stockton from the outset, and even though they trailed at the end of the first, second and third quarters, a steady push over the final 12 minutes led to an exciting 112-111 victory.
The teams swapped leads nine times in the fourth stanza, but it was Zylan Cheatham’s bucket with 33 seconds remaining that accounted for the winning score.
“These guys work behind the scenes so hard,” Squadron coach T.J. Saint said. “We had an off day after the RGV game (a 132-105 loss to Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday) – didn’t even show the film, just threw it away – and then had two really good days of practice. Then they came back and beat the No. 1 team in the league.
“They deserve it.”
Entering the game, the New Orleans Pelicans affiliate was 0-8 when down after the first quarter, 0-10 when behind at the half, and 0-8 when on the short side of the scoreboard after three.
But despite trailing 30-28, 61-56 and 88-86, Birmingham had the most points at the final buzzer, snapping the franchise’s longest losing streak.
Cheatham led a balanced Squadron attack with 21 points and seven rebounds, while James Kelly Sr. had a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.
Other double-digit scorers for the winners were Javonte Smart (16), Feron Hunt (15) and two-way player Dereon Seabron (12). The Birmingham bench accounted for 50 points.
“It feels good,” Seabron said. “We needed this.”
Wes Iwundu and Deonte Burton provided a potent 1-2 punch for the Kings, scoring 24 and 23 points, respectively.
Iwundu added 12 rebounds to the cause.
Still, none of it was enough to take down the Squadron, who kept their composure while playing with controlled aggression.
“That starts with our front office originally identifying guys with super high character,” Saint said. “They’ve always had it and we’ve been through hard times and that’s what I told them. Hard times make strong men.”
Birmingham and Stockton play again Sunday at 6 p.m. at Legacy Arena.
“We went through a lot, we have a lot of season left, and hopefully this propels us, but we’ve got to do it again in 22 hours, this same team,” Saint said. “This could really be a boost to us, but we have to have the maturity to do it again tomorrow.”
As much as I love hockey, I’m not what you’d call a worldly person when it comes to watching it live. In fact, before last Monday, I had seen professional games in person at a grand total of four venues – the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Coliseum (now Legacy Arena) in Birmingham; Philips Arena (now State Farm Arena) in Atlanta; Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina; and Gila River Arena (now Desert Diamond Arena) in Glendale, Arizona.
Although I’m a New York Rangers fan, I used to love going to the ATL and watching the Thrashers. I even got to see them play in their one and only playoff series (before relocating to Winnipeg) which came – fortunately for me – against the Rangers. And, I was one of 18,644 fans in the building for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game there. It was half-speed hockey, but still fun.
Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Twitter @adamsonsl
During my 15 years in G-Vegas, I got to root for the ECHL Greenville Road Warriors (now Swamp Rabbits). My wife accompanied me to many Sunday games, where we sat in section 217 – usually having that entire segment of the 14,000-seat arena all to ourselves.
As for the desert hockey experience, that was basically just a fluke.
I was in Glendale, Arizona, covering the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and even though it was played on January 11, 2016, our plane wasn’t leaving for Greenville until the wee hours of January 13.
So, what better way to spend a long layover than witness the NHL Western Conference showdown between the Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers with a couple of my co-workers? I like to think they were impressed when I told them that the first time I saw the Oilers play, they were in the World Hockey Association.
But the teams I’ve seen more than any other have been the Birmingham Bulls, who skated at the Civic Center as members of the WHA (1976-79), Central Hockey League (1979-81), Atlantic Coast Hockey League (that iteration of Bulls played just three regular season games before folding in 1983) and ECHL (1992-2001).
(There was also the Birmingham South Stars of 1982-83 … I’ll write more about them in a future column).
The version of the Bulls I had neglected, however, were the ones who now play in the Southern Professional Hockey League and call the Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena home. They were founded in 2017, and since I was still living in South Carolina at the time, they weren’t on my radar.
But I moved back to Birmingham in 2021, and even though I hadn’t followed a Birmingham-based hockey team for more than two decades, I just never made the effort to go watch them play.
Now that I have, I’m kicking myself for staying away so long.
The SPHL Bulls hosted the Huntsville Havoc on an MLK Day matinee, and it made me realize how much fun watching live hockey can be. And it’s even more enjoyable when there are lots of enthusiastic fans in the building.
Seating capacity is 4,100, and to me the Civic Complex gave off a cool Federal League/Charlestown Chiefs/War Memorial vibe (as a Slap Shot fan, I mean that as a huge compliment). The fact that 3,346 fans were jumping and bouncing and keeping the aluminum seating area vibrating from the first puck drop to the final horn added to the experience.
Since the SPHL is a developmental independent league – players who excel will graduate to the ECHL rather than the AHL or NHL – I probably didn’t see the next Gordie Howe or Wayne Gretzky on the ice.
And that was fine.
All I wanted was entertainment, and I got more than my share.
I cheered for the home team, naturally, but was hardly distraught by Huntsville’s 6-3 victory. When I see nine goals, a couple of fights, and it all happens within a two hour and 30-minute window, I’ve gotten my money’s worth.
Michael Gillespie took 14 shots and scored twice for the Bulls, while Scott Donahue got his only shot past the Havoc goalie. (I’ve decided that – until further notice – Gillespie is my favorite player because we’re both 5-9).
Oh, and I can’t forget ZOOperstars Dominik Hashark, Whale Gretzky and Tommy Laswordfish. These inflatable entertainers danced, pranced and contorted themselves during intermission, and it was silly, funny and weird.
Silly, funny and weird is right up my alley.
So, now that I’ve witnessed a new generation of Birmingham Bulls, I need to commit.
Back in 1976 I went from knowing next to nothing about the game to becoming a (fairly) knowledgeable superfan of our WHA team, absorbing everything I could about hockey rules and hockey history.
Now it’s time to get up to speed on SPHL history, and teach myself what I need to know about the Bulls, Havoc, Knoxville Ice Bears, Quad City Storm, Evansville Thunderbolts, Macon Mayhem, Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, Fayetteville Marksmen, Pensacola Ice Flyers, Vermilion County Bobcats and Peoria Rivermen.
I’ve already learned that Knoxville is the most successful club in SPHL history with five league titles, and Vermilion County’s team is located in Danville, Illinois, which is not in the American South or even the Illinois South yet competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Here’s more geography for you; the Quad City Storm uses Moline, Illinois, as their home ice, although the team also represents Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, as well as Rock Island and East Moline, Illinois.
Of course, aside from history, league logos and nicknames are important to me.
The Thunderbolts’ badge is my favorite because of the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane image, and the Ice Flyers have a cool logo, too. I guess I must have a thing for aircraft.
I’ve also determined that Rail Yard Dogs is a quite clunky, yet clever, nickname, while the Peoria Rivermen has a nice flow to it.
Bottom line, I look forward to following this league and cozying up to Birmingham hockey once again. The SPHL made a terrific first impression on me.
One thing’s for sure … I’m not waiting 22 years before I go to my next Bulls game.
Perry Huang (center) works for the NBA G League’s Birmingham Squadron as well as the Seattle Storm of the WNBA.
So, what does Perry Huang do to relax after basketball season ends?
He couldn’t tell you.
Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Twitter @adamsonsl
When you work for two different teams in two different professional leagues at two different times of year, the season runs on a continuous loop.
The man currently serving as assistant coach for the NBA G League’s Birmingham Squadron also has a similar role with the four-time WNBA champion Seattle Storm. And when the Squadron put their Size 7 Wilsons on the rack (the regular season wraps up March 25 with playoffs beginning three days later), that means the Storm will soon roll out their Size 6 orbs (training camp opens on April 30).
“Yeah, the last three years have been pretty crazy,” Huang said after Friday night’s clash between the Squadron and Salt Lake City Stars at Legacy Arena. “It’s like the last playoff game is on a Tuesday, you lose, so then you have Wednesday to kind of get your things together, and then on Thursday you’re off to the next city. That’s happened two straight years. And really, I still do a little bit for Seattle all year as well as the Pelicans organization, so it’s kind of like you always have one foot in both doors.”
Huang began working for the Storm during the 2018 season – serving as video coordinator – and was promoted to assistant coach/manager of video and player development during Seattle’s 2021 campaign.
“Perry is one of the hardest working coaches I know and he is an extremely valuable member of our staff,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said. “His passion for the game is evident and his dedication ensures we will maintain a standard of excellence on the court.”
The Fresno Pacific University graduate – who was born in Salt Lake City and raised in Monterey, California – is in his fourth year with New Orleans’ G League affiliate. He spent two years with the Erie BayHawks before the club moved to Birmingham ahead of the 2021-22 season.
“He’s been with us since day one,” Birmingham head coach T.J. Saint said. “When we were the Erie BayHawks, the first practice we went out and there was no snow on the ground, and two and a half hours later there were six inches of snow so we were shoveling it out to get our cars started and that was a bonding experience. He was a video guy who got onto the coaching staff and he’s great with players and really good on the bench with different adjustments and things … just a hard worker.
“To me, he’s like a brother. We’ve been together for four years, and I love him.”
After starting his collegiate assistant coaching career with Cal State San Marcos and Monterey Peninsula College, Huang has since worked in the pro ranks with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Northern Arizona Suns, and BC Prievidza of the Slovak Basketball League.
Huang, seen here with Kelan Martin, will head to Seattle once Birmingham’s season is over.
“I always loved basketball, but I wasn’t always sure I wanted to coach,” he said. “I played at a small D2 school and the coaches there always talked to me about how high IQ I was, and how I always was able to do scouting reports. So, when I got into coaching, I just wanted to be around basketball and then it all kind of came to fruition. I started in high school, college and all that stuff. Opportunities arose and to do what I’m doing now, it’s kind of beyond my dreams.”
With the Squadron, he’s dealing with athletes a step away from the NBA. With the Storm, he’s working with the world’s best women players. Still, there are coaching basics he applies to both jobs.
“The G League is about development and you want these guys to grasp certain things over time, and it’s always a new team,” Huang says. “We’re fortunate in that we have a few returners from last year’s team, and a lot of teams don’t get that chance. But in the G League, you tend to get younger every year.
“In the WNBA, I get a chance to work with a player like Sue Bird (who retired last September), who’s a legend. I learned from her instead of me teaching her, although sometimes I might have had a thing or two I could pass along. Then there’s Breanna Stewart, who’s MVP, and in Seattle we have a team with players who’ve played 10-plus years, so I learn from them more than anything else. With the Storm I’m just trying to put them into spots because they already know how to play the game. That’s probably the biggest difference in coaching in the WNBA and G League.”
Certainly he has long-range career goals as a coach, although he’s content – while in his mid-30s – to take things as they come.
“I’ve found that, for me, I just kind of have to let things be,” he said. “Obviously I have goals … I eventually want to be in the NBA – not necessarily as a head coach, but as an assistant coach – but it’s more about taking advantage of the moment and not taking any of this for granted because a lot of people don’t get a chance to do what I do in one league, let alone two leagues.”
And as for taking a break from basketball and relaxing, well, that might happen one day.
But not today.
And not anytime soon.
“Maybe when I have a few more gray hairs pop in I’ll start to contemplate it,” Huang says with a laugh. “I do enjoy what I do, and right now I’m still young enough to do it all. But I know there’s going to come a time when I’ll have to think about family and take a few vacations here and there.”
