December 2023 - Adamsonmedia.com

Squadron starts over

T.J. Saint and the Squadron return to action on Friday against Indiana in Indianapolis. (photo courtesy of the Birmingham Squadron)

Through 16 games, the Birmingham Squadron is 10-6 and riding a five-game winning streak. The New Orleans Pelicans’ G League affiliate also leads the circuit in free throw percentage (82.6 percent), stands fourth in 3-pointers made (232), and ranks fifth in 3-point percentage (36.5).

Those are meaningful stats.

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Yet starting on Friday – when T.J. Saint’s club takes on the Indiana Mad Ants (1-0) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis – they’re merely points of reference.

With the Showcase Cup (in-season tournament) portion of the 2023-24 slate done, G League teams now embark on a 34-game regular season. That means all records reset to 0-0 as the 31 clubs prepare to spend the rest of the winter and early spring battling for a championship.

But even though what’s already happened might not go in the regular season record books, it still matters.

“During that (five-game winning streak), our offense has actually been second in the league,” Saint said. “We’ve been sharing the ball, our turnovers are way down, our three-point percentage is up, we’re shooting more threes – which is what we want – and they’re really starting to get kind of surgical with taking the right shots.”

Among players who made at least 12 appearances for the Squadron during the Showcase Cup, Jalen Crutcher has been the top scorer with 19.7 points per game. He’s followed closely by Malcolm Hill, who has been good for 19.3 points per outing.

Landers Nolley II averages 18.3 points, followed by Izaiah Brockington (13) and Devin Cannady (10.2).

Two-way player Dereon Seabron has played in five games and averages 23 points per game, while Kira Lewis Jr. – while on assignment from the parent club – pumped in 20.7 points on average over three games and accounted for two game-winning shots.

UAB’s Trey Jemison has flirted with a double-double over 16 games, averaging 9.4 points and 11.7 rebounds each time out. His carom count was second best in Showcase Cup play.

On Tuesday, New Orleans assigned E.J. Liddell to Birmingham. He averaged 14.7 points and 9.3 rebounds during three games with the Squadron in November. He was a two-way player in 2022-23, but never played in the Magic City that season due to injuries.

“He’s gonna be here for a minute,” Saint said. “But he’ll be on somewhat of a minutes restriction.”

The Squadron got Jordan Hawkins on assignment from the Pelicans on Thursday. The guard has made 27 appearances for New Orleans this season, averaging 10.7 points and 23.9 minutes per game.

One theme Saint hopes continues into the season reboot is team unity. Night in and night out, the players look like they’re having fun working together.

They’ve certainly been fun to watch.

“We met (Wednesday) morning, and it was more of a team meeting, where I talked about where we needed to level up and basically call ourselves up to an even higher standard,” Saint explained. “Once I said that, they talked most of the meeting. What I’m trying to do is get this from being a coach-led team to a player-led team. In some instances we are and some we aren’t, which is part of the growth process. But they take ownership.

“They don’t get too down on themselves and they really pick each other up. And so, the challenge that I gave them and the staff – the entire staff going forward for the next three and a half months through mid-April to potentially compete for a championship – is just to totally give every single ounce of energy you have to the team because if you do that, you’ll be able to lift everybody else up and that gives you the best individual chance to achieve your goals.”

Saint said Wednesday’s “back-to-work” practice was a good one, and he’s grateful his guys had a few days off.

“Healthwise we’re good right now, and they needed the rest,” Saint said. “We’ve been playing a lot of guys a bunch of minutes because we had those eight games in like 16 days, or whatever it was, and we were injured then and had to work through it. It was much deserved, and needed.”

Indiana lost just one game during the Showcase Cup before falling to the Westchester Knicks in the Winter Showcase final in Orlando last week. Birmingham plays the Mad Ants (Indiana Pacers affiliate) on Friday at 5 p.m. and again on Sunday at 9 a.m.

The road swing continues January 2-3 when the Squadron faces the Grand Rapids Gold (Denver Nuggets affiliate) – 6 p.m. starts both days – and Saint’s squad opens regular season action at Legacy Arena on Friday, January 5, when the Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami Heat affiliate) comes in for a 7 p.m. tip.

Birmingham has moved to the Eastern Conference this season. The top six teams in each conference earn a spot in the single-elimination playoff while the top two teams in the Eastern and Western alignments receive first-round byes. “This is a fun group to be around,” Saint said. “We’ve got a pretty good test coming up in Indiana the next couple days, so it’ll be good to see how we perform. This group is so connected and really works hard, so it’s exciting to get back at it.”

A Visit from St. Nicholas, annotated

Most of you are familiar with the Clement Clarke Moore poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, even though you might think it’s called ‘Twas the night before Christmas.

That made me realize that perhaps we really aren’t familiar with it at all.

And if that’s the case, then an annotated version of the poem is in order.

Luckily for you, I’ve decided to step up to the plate and perform this service myself. Below is the poem, with my annotations presented in italics.

I hope this provides you as well as your kith and kin great joy this holiday season.

You’re welcome …

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

We didn’t have pets, although we were planning on getting a shelter kitten after the holidays. We did have a slight rodent problem several months earlier but the kids smeared peanut butter on the neighbors’ side of the fence, and that seemed to take care of it.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds;

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

The kids had gotten hold of some of our edibles and ended up getting slightly high, resulting in their weird dreams. (We have a meeting with a social worker in January).

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Mom and me like to role play, so she put on a kerchief and pretended to be peasant woman who hoards pineapples while I donned a ball cap and became the “pizza delivery guy.” But then a loud noise interrupted our sexy time.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

I had eaten some bad sash earlier, and barfed.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,

Gave a luster of midday to objects below,

When what to my wondering eyes did appear,

But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,

You don’t see a lot of miniature caribou, although small sleighs aren’t that uncommon, especially in toy stores. The combination, though, was noteworthy to me.

With a little old driver so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.

Actually, at first, I thought it might be former NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, who was also lively and quick. He’s retired now, though, I think. I don’t really follow motorsports.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

I had to look up coursers. It means “swift horses.” Not only are caribou not horses, but where the hell was Rudolph? This makes no sense.

As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;

So up to the housetop the coursers they flew

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too

Again, with the swift horses. Whatever, man … it just seems disrespectful to the caribou.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

You’d be surprised how much damage hooves can do to roofs. It’d be interesting to see how many insurance claims are filed right after Christmas. I’m gonna at least get an estimate.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

A guy wearing dirty fur and carrying a big sack of toys normally has a lot of explaining to do, especially when police are present.

His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;

He’d been day drinking – which is fine by me. I don’t judge.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly

That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

Look, it’s a smoke-free home. I don’t want to be a dick, but you don’t just fire up a pipe in somebody else’s house.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

I wasn’t trying to body-shame him … it was just humorous to see a porky elf wearing dirty fur.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

Apparently, he had so much sinus pressure it allowed him to launch himself back up the chimney. Kinda gross, but I guess it works.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

Imagine a small duck exploding. Take away the blood and horror, and it’s kinda like what flying thistle down looks like.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight—

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Ditto, guys.

2 more games, then Squadron begins anew

The Birmingham Squadron (8-6) finished the regularly scheduled portion of its Showcase Cup slate with a flourish, winning three consecutive games – including a road sweep of the Osceola Magic.

Although T.J. Saint’s team fell just outside the eight-team tournament field for the Winter Showcase Tournament in Orlando, there are still two games to be played in Central Florida.

First up is the Rip City (North Portland) Remix on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CST, and then the Stockton Kings on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

“I think there are 12 teams out of the 31 that are 8-6,” Saint said. “That’s over a third of the league. And it’s like those little plays that happen, the attention to detail within games, that make the difference. We’ve been good at a lot of them to get to this point, but if we’d been a bit more focused, we might’ve been one of the teams in the tournament.

“But where we are is a good measuring stick of what we’ve done, but how much better we have to be to be at the top of all this.”

Not only will the games give Birmingham players some extra court time heading into the 2023-24 regular season, it’ll serve as an additional “job fair” for Squadron players.

The annual in-season scouting event allows all G League players to see game action in front of general managers and player personnel executives from all 30 NBA teams.

And while the Squadron is the affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans, the majority of G league players are free agents, meaning players not already under NBA contracts can be signed to deals.

The Winter Showcase takes place just before NBA clubs have a window to sign free agents to 10-day contracts, and more than 100 players have earned call-ups over the course of the previous 18 cups.

“Really, I think the whole season’s a job fair,” Saint said. “One of the things we talked about with our guys is the front office personnel, scouts and GMs who are going to be in attendance here at the Showcase have already been watching you from afar, whether on film or at some of our games.

“And they’re really here to confirm what they already think. All you need to do is play the same way you have played and not try to do anything outside of what’s always been the case and developing yourself as an NBA role player.”

Among those players who have suited up for all 14 of Birmingham’s Showcase Cup games, Jalen Crutcher is the leading scorer with 19.9 points per outing, followed closely behind by Malcolm Hill with 19.2.

Izaiah Brockington has chipped in 12.9 points, while Trey Jemison is pulling down 10.9 rebounds to go with his 8.9 points scoring output.

Two-way player Dereon Seabron has averaged 23 points over five games, and Kira Lewis – sent to Birmingham on assignment from the Pelicans – scored 32 points in his season debut with the club last Friday.

Other double-digit performers for the Squadron are Landers Nolley II (19.4 points over 10 games), E.J. Liddell (14.9 points over three games) and Devin Cannady (10.2 points over 11 games).

One constant is that the players genuinely seem to like each other and enjoy playing together.

“We identify high character people,” Saint said. “We had some of them on the summer league team and they kind of started developing relationships there, but then we bring them in right after Labor Day in New Orleans, and we’re there for almost two months together. You just kind of get some natural connections going with that.

“And then when we get to Birmingham, myself and (general manager of basketball operations) Adam Barnes really set the record straight on what’s going to be tolerated and what’s not, and how I’m really big on culture and connectivity.”

That connectivity has extended to the coaching staff as well.

Jodie Meeks returns for his second season and Joe Barrer, Jonathan Mitchell and Jalen Cannady have been added to the mix, along with Barnes. Saint said the crew meshed from the start, and thinks the addition of Barrer has been a boost.

“It’s been really, really good,” Saint said. “We made some changes on the coaching staff in the offseason … I felt like I needed – and we needed – somebody with a lot of experience, somebody who I thought was more experienced than me and had been in the league, and we got that in Joe Barrer, who was a G League head coach at Lakeland.

“He’s someone who’s sat in the seat and who can really bring a new perspective, and somebody who can really tell me when he thinks that I’m doing something the wrong way and how we need to change it.”

One the two Showcase games are done, the Squadron will break for the holiday and then hit the reset button.

Birmingham opens a 34-game regular season schedule at the Indiana Mad Ants in Indianapolis on December 29, and the teams complete a two-game set on December 31.

The Squadron in on the road again on January 1-2 with the Grands Rapid Gold hosting, and its home opener is on January 5 when the Sioux Falls Skyforce comes to Legacy Arena for a 7 p.m. tip.

“We’re gonna fly everybody into Indianapolis sometime on the 26th of December, and we’ll try to get a team dinner for the guys that night,” Saint said. “That way everybody can sleep in the hotel and we’ll have a practice on the morning of the 27^th and get back to a normal routine.”