At the close of training camp, Birmingham Squadron coach T.J. Saint hinted that his 2023-24 team had a chance to be special.
On opening night, the New Orleans Pelicans’ G League affiliate most certainly was.
Friday in front of 2,149 fans at Legacy Arena, Birmingham overwhelmed the Austin Spurs – leading by as many as 36 points in the first half and 45 in the second – and cruised to an impressive 130-90 victory.
“It started in April, it really did,” Saint said. “I took a week off, went back to New Orleans, shut my computer, and (general manager of basketball operations) Adam (Barnes) and I hit the road and we were really deliberate in what we wanted, and all the pieces aren’t even here yet. We’re building an identity, and that was my main focus the first two weeks. We showed a little bit of it, but there are still steps to take.
“And the best part about it, human nature will tell you to relax, but we still won the third and fourth quarters. That can be special down the line.”
Three players – Landers Nolley II, Izaiah Brockington, and Tevian Jones – scored 20 points each, with Nolley notching a double-double thanks to 10 rebounds.
Malcolm Hill added 18 points, followed by Devin Cannady (12), Jalen Crutcher (11) and E.J. Liddell (10). Liddell had 12 rebounds to give the winners their second double-double performer of the evening.
“We just tried to say that we’re gonna win no matter how much we get up, so we’re trying to beat people by a hundred if we get the opportunity,” said Nolley, who made his G League debut on Friday. “We’re trying to capitalize on everything we can.”
Birmingham also destroyed Austin on the boards by a staggering 63-38 margin.
“I was really impressed by Izaiah Brockington,” Saint said. “We have a ‘Fierce Medal,’ or now it’s a “Fierce Chain,’ and the most fierce player gets it, and then they start passing it around to each other after every game. Izaiah got it tonight.”
The conquest by Birmingham was part of the circuit’s in-season Showcase Cup tournament, which will continue until December 27 when the regular season gets underway.
The performance set a high bar for a squad that combined lights-out shooting with a smothering defense.
Brockington led Birmingham in the first quarter with eight points, paving the way to a 30-20 lead.
UAB’s Trey Jemison wasted little time making an impact, finishing the first quarter with five blocked shots – including one stretch where he stuffed the same Austin shooter three consecutive times. He closed the night with nine rebounds and six blocks.
Liddell, a two-way player last season who was injured in 2022-23 and never played, was in the starting lineup for Birmingham. The forward tallied four points over the first 12 minutes after being assigned to Birmingham by New Orleans on Thursday.
In the second stanza it was Nolley and Jones who joined in on the scoring fun, pushing the Squadron advantage to 75-39 at one point before settling on a fat, 75-41 cushion at intermission.
The eventual winners closed the half with a 64.1 percent shooting clip and bagged eight 3-pointers along the way.
Birmingham kept up the pressure in the third quarter, allowing the Spurs to cut the deficit under 30 just once. The Squadron reached triple digits at the 2:06 juncture of the period, and after 36 minutes had this one well in control at 106-69.
The lead grew to 45 in the fourth, and midway through the quarter seven players had already hit for twin figures.
“We’re a family-oriented team, and I think that showed tonight,” Nolley said. “We just stick together. We know that we all need each other to get to that higher level.”
Kaleb Johnson paced the Spurs with a game-high 23 points, Javante McCoy scored 12, and Sidy Cissoko and Paul Watson chipped in 11 points apiece.
Culture shock: Squadron draft pick Pavel Savkov hails from Moscow, Russia, but has been earning a living playing basketball in Spain since 2018.
The 21-year-old – like most basketball players – has NBA dreams, which is how he wound up in the G League.
“I had an opportunity in the summer to come here, and I’ve always wanted to play basketball in America,” said Savkov, who entered Friday’s game at 8:25 of the fourth quarter and scored his first basket with 1:10 to play. “Being in the G League puts me closer to the NBA than any other league I’ve ever been in.”
Saint first met Savkov when he showed up for training camp two weeks ago, and has been impressed with the 6-7 guard’s progress.
“He’s done a ton of shooting, and he does that really well,” Saint said. “He’s pretty young, and the big thing with him is the rules here on the court are way different than what he’s used to. It’s going to be a continuing adjustment when he gets into games, which is faster than what he’s used to.”
Savkov said it’s taking a bit of time to get used to speed of the American game, and the three-second rule is part of the learning curve.
In American pro ball the three-second rule applies to both the offense and defense, while in FIBA the violation can occur only on offense.
“That’s the rule that I’ve had to adjust to the most,” he said.
Saint believes Savkov will prove to be a quick study.
“He doesn’t seem like a rookie because he’s been playing pro,” Saint said. “He’s a little bit more advanced, it’s just that the game here is different. But he’ll figure it out.”
Savkov’s current Spanish club is Saski Baskonia, and before coming to Birmingham he signed a contract extension designed to keep him there through the 2027-28 season.
Success in the Ham could lead to a change of plans, though.
“After the (G League) season ends I can return there,” he said. “But that will be determined by what happens here. We’ll see.”
Making themselves at home: The Squadron made history last year by becoming the first Birmingham-based professional basketball team to return for a second season. With year three underway, the NBA developmental squad is now established as part of the Magic City’s sports landscape.
Excluding semi-pro and amateur loops that have come and gone, Birmingham has hosted franchises in the Professional Basketball League of America, Southern Professional Basketball League and Continental Basketball Association. Until the NBA G League came along, however, no franchise has lasted beyond a single campaign.
Next up: Birmingham travels more than 1,500 miles for its first road trip of the season, a double dip against the Capitanes de Ciudad de México (Mexico City Captains).
Game One is Sunday at 4 p.m. CST, and Game Two will be played on Monday at 8 p.m.
The Squadron returns home Sunday, November 19, 3 p.m., when the Texas Legends provide the opposition at Legacy Arena.
