Category: Basketball

The job of an NBA G League team is to develop players and do so within the system utilized by the parent club. And if the understudies win a lot of games along the way, that makes things even better.

As the 2023-24 season approaches, the Birmingham Squadron – the New Orleans Pelicans’ affiliate – has the tools in place to check all of those boxes.

“I think one of the things that’s the most important for us is you have to be at a point in your evolution where you can really use the G League team,” Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said earlier this week. “What we’ve had going on in the past, unfortunately, some of it was injury-induced. And then some of it was just a young team developing the guys that you would ordinarily like to say will be staples with the Squadron, but have been playing meaningful minutes with us.

“And I think we’ve reached the point now where we have a level of depth of quality young players that we can feel really comfortable assigning, guys like (guard) Dyson Daniels and (guard) Kira Lewis. I think we’re in a place now where we’ll be able to assign young players of that ilk to be really positive players.”

T.J. Saint is entering his second season as head coach of the Squadron, and spent Saturday morning overseeing local player tryouts at the Lakeshore Foundation.

“We’re extremely balanced as a team,” Saint said. “Technically, right now, we have two roster spots to fill. One of those will for sure be filled through the (G League) draft (on October 28). And to be quite honest, the second could come very well come from the local player tryout here. We’ve got 60-plus players signed up and I really, really appreciate guys who are going after their dream or goal, and honestly, who believe in themselves. It’s just really cool to see.”

This season G League teams will be allotted three two-way players. Guard Dereon Seabron was the Squadron’s lone active two-way player in 2022-23 since power forward E.J. Liddell was sidelined by a torn ACL and missed all of last year. Seabron averaged 18.4 points per game for Birmingham during the regular season and 14.3 points during the in-season tournament (Showcase Cup) portion of the schedule.

“What’s really neat for us is we’re finally at a point in our development where the players that we have on two-way contracts we anticipate we’re going to be able to send to Birmingham,” Griffin said. “(Center) Liam Robbins, who was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year at Vanderbilt, is a player that we anticipate will be with us at that point. He’s certainly going to be part of training camp … he’s looked tremendous here in our gym.

“(Center) Trey Jemison, who finished last season with UAB and Coach (Andy) Kennedy, will be coming back with us, and both of those guys will add some size to the Squadron team. Since Zach Hankins (now with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier league) left us, that’s something we’ve sorely needed.”

Griffin adds that the relationship between the Pelicans – who finished 42-40 a year ago and lost their play-in game to Oklahoma City – and Squadron should be more reciprocal during the G League team’s third season in the Magic City.

“There’s Dereon Seabron, who was a tremendous member of the Squadron last year and is with us as a two-way player,” Griffin explained. “We don’t need him to be able to play minutes immediately with us, and so he’ll be able to continue his progression there, which excites us. Liam’s got the potential to be a meaningful NBA center on both sides of the floor. So, getting to leave a player of that caliber there is good for us and will be significant for the development of the Squadron. Whereas before we couldn’t use it like that, we’re at a critical juncture where we’ll benefit from it more.”

Saint says the roles of the two-way players in Birmingham will be well-defined this time out.

“The two-ways that we’ll have in Birmingham on any assignments will all be at different positions,” he said. “So, they’ll all get a lot of time, and that’s the whole point of this. We want to win, and for the players here to be a conduit of winning down here so they can be a conduit of winning with the Pelicans.

“But it’s really about developing the young guys so they can eventually play big games and make contributions for New Orleans down the line – this year or the year after.”

The 2023-24 Birmingham coaching staff includes newcomers Joe Barrer, Jonathan Mitchell and Jalen Cannady, and Adam Barnes takes over the role of general manager of basketball operations.

“Joe was the former head coach of the Lakeland (now Osceola) Magic, and he beat us three times last year,” Saint said.  “It’s a huge addition to get a former head coach who sees the game in a unique way and is a super high character person.

“Jodie Meeks is back in his second year and has 10-plus years as an NBA player, and we just added Jonathan Mitchell, who was on the (2007) Florida national championship team. The thing that’s really neat about those three assistants is Jonathan won a title in college as a player, Jodie won an NBA championship as a player with the Toronto Raptors, and Joe won a G league title with the Lakeland Magic as an assistant.”

The Squadron is shifting to the Eastern Conference for 2023-24 and will face six new opponents for the first time in franchise history – the Cleveland Charge, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Motor City Cruise, Long Island Nets, Westchester Knicks and Windy City Bulls.

Birmingham opens the season at home against the Austin Spurs on November 10 as part of the G League’s Showcase Cup. The Squadron finished 11-21 in the 2022-23 regular season and 6-12 in Cup play.

Before a new G League campaign, though, local fans will get to see Pelicans stars of the future and present (such as Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram) when New Orleans plays the Houston Rockets at Legacy Arena on October 12 in an NBA exhibition game.

Last year’s preseason clash between the Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks was a sellout, and tickets for next month’s matchup are already on sale.

“We’ve got some local guys with ties there who really look forward to coming back,” Griffin said. “Obviously, Herb Jones and Kira (former Alabama Crimson Tide standouts) will be a big part of what we’re doing, and I would expect you’d see both of them in this game fairly liberally.”

Tickets can be purchased through the Squadron website birmingham.gleague.nba.com or by calling 205-719-0850.

The NBA Summer League gives fans an opportunity to check out stars in the making as they compete in a high-energy tournament format. It’s great entertainment and I find myself watching as many games as I can.

For coaches, though – especially those in charge of NBA G League teams – it serves as part classroom, part job fair.

Birmingham Squadron boss T.J. Saint was in Las Vegas to watch the New Orlean Pelicans’ up-and-comers, some of who’ll be part of his club during the 2023-24 season. Entering his second season as head coach of their G League affiliate, Saint has a vested interest in the men dotting the roster.

“I think the Pelicans are going to do some different things offensively, so a lot of the Summer League for me was just kind of getting a feel for that system,” Saint told me during a Tuesday telephone conversation. “And I had a chance to learn a lot about some of our new players, guys that’ll be in Birmingham with us. Summer has always been a tremendously valuable time to start to build relationships with the new players, and then just reinforcing what you’ve learned and continuing to coach.”

Two-way player Dereon Seabron averaged a team-high 17.2 points during the Pelicans’ five-game Summer League schedule, while E.J. Liddell was good for 12.8 per game. Liddell was the Pelicans’ second two-way player in 2022-23, but was sidelined by a torn ACL.

The good news for Birmingham is that Liddell now has a clean bill of health. The better news is that a new collective bargaining agreement has paved the way for each team to carry a third two-way player.

Saint said that will have a huge impact on the Squadron and how he approaches game management.

“Having three two-way players in 2023-24 changes things a lot,” he explained. “I mean, those guys play anywhere between 25 and 30-plus minutes per game, and you have to map that out across your entire team when building a rotation. With one guy, there’s a set percentage they have to play but with two, that’s 25 percent of your minutes and you add a third, that’s 37 percent of your minutes. So, it’s a huge deal going from essentially one to three – it’s a game changer.”

Seabron was a crowd favorite in 2022-23, averaging 34.5 minutes on the court over 27 outings and scoring 18.4-points per night. He also made five appearances with the Pelicans last season.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Dereon … he’s not a rookie anymore,” Saint said. “Having him there in his second year means knowing what to expect and knowing he’s gotten a lot better and gotten a lot stronger. I think he’s gonna have a banner year.”

Local tryouts for players will begin next month. And despite the fact that making a roster is a longshot, Saint says they’re important for the trialists.

“It’s awesome to see people who have come to games as fans and they come out in September wearing our logo and trying out for the team,” he said. “I think it’s really cool. I remember when I was growing up if I walked into my favorite NBA team’s open tryout and wearing their logo, I’d be pretty hyped about it. So, I love these tryouts … we always get good people, good energy.

“It allows our coaches to have a good experience and coach those guys, and I think it’s tremendous for the community. I wish we could do more of them, honestly.”

As for the G League Draft, it’s set for Saturday, October 28.

“By the time we get to the G-League Draft, most of the roster will be set,” Saint said. “The day after the draft is our first team meeting, so going into it you know what you want and what you need. Right now, we’re slated to get the sixth pick in the first round. But sometimes to get the stuff you need, you just kind of go get the best available. So, we’re kind of working through some more stuff on the roster on the front end, but by draft time it just kind of takes care of itself.”

I’ve been a G League fan for several years now, even before the circuit decided to put down roots in the Magic City. The games are so much fun to watch, and one of the main reasons is because it’s professional basketball played at a high level.

It’s not the NBA, but it’s the next best thing in North America.

“How many times do you see a player playing in a minor league and the very next night play in a major league? That happens here, because you will literally see a player on the court here one night and in the NBA the next,” Saint said. “You’re gonna see people right on the fringe and some people you know … that you recognize from college. These are guys who have either already done it or right on the fringe to do it.

“I think New Orleans is five hours away, Memphis (home of the Grizzlies) is three or so hours away, and Atlanta (home of the Hawks) is a little over two hours away, but Legacy Arena is right here, and we have some really talented players.”

Another impressive aspect of the organization is how much work it does in the community. On July 31 members of the front office staff and Morris Bart Law Farm held a volunteer event at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, and today they volunteered with United Way of Central Alabama and Jones Valley Teaching Farm to help beautify Henry J. Oliver Elementary School.

Saint hopes Birmingham sports fans will have more chances to become familiar with the players in the coming months as they take part in civic activities.

“I think one of the things we’re going to do even more this year, speaking with (Squadron general manager) Leslie Claybrook, is we’re going to really do our best to get our players out in the community more so people can get to know them better,” Saint said. “They might know what college they’re from, especially a local guy like John Petty from Alabama, but we’re just trying to really help them get to know who our players are, have a little bit of a relationship with them, talk to them at different events. We’re going to really make that a paramount focus for us this year. When you can do that, the fans feel more a part of it.

“It can help our guys, and I think the team that we’re putting together is going to be really solid. I’m super excited about it.”

Me, too.

Draft night and draft beer made for a smooth combination Thursday night at Back Forty Birmingham at Sloss Docks.

The brewery hosted Summer Slam 2023, the official NBA Draft watch party of the Birmingham Squadron. And while the breaking news concerned the New Orleans Pelicans – the parent club of the Magic City’s G League club snagged UConn sophomore Jordan Hawkins with the 14^th pick – it was also a chance to put the Squadron back in the spotlight five months ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Birmingham coach T.J. Saint, as well as play-by-play announcer Blake Gardner and analyst Rick Moody, talked hoops while the draft played out on a big screen behind them.

“As this is all unfolding and we’re watching the draft, what I’m watching for and what the Birmingham front office is looking for, is who goes undrafted,” said Saint, who is entering his second year at the helm of the Squadron. “We talk to different players, and if certain guys in the second round aren’t selected, we’ll make calls to their agents and get them on our summer league team.”  

Birmingham closed out the 2022-23 campaign with a 122-120 victory over the College Park Skyhawks in front of 4,119 fans at Legacy Arena in March.

The Pelicans’ developmental team finished 6-12 in the preseason Showcase Cup competition and 11-21 in the regular season, drawing 65,682 for home games in their second season in Birmingham.

Average attendance was 2,737 fans per game, 11^th best among the 30 G League teams.

“Honestly, the arena we have here is NBA-level,” Saint said. “And if we can just get more people there … I think the weekends are pretty good, but on Tuesdays if you guys can come out, it helps a lot. It creates a better atmosphere.

“And the talent level of the G League, for people who don’t know, it’s just below the NBA and you have that right here in your city and it’s a very affordable ticket. And you’ll recognize most of the players. If you come out, I think it can help us build a contender for the title.”

The fact that the Squadron completed a second season and is set for a third also made some local history: Birmingham franchises in the Professional Basketball League of America, Southern Professional Basketball League and Continental Basketball Association were all one-and-out.

As is the nature of any G League squad, the roster promises to change dramatically when play begins. Last season forward Feron Hunt and guard Javonte Smart appeared in 32 outings. Hunt tallied 468 points and had 164 rebounds in 985 minutes, while Smart was good for 435 points and 110 assists in 930 minutes on the floor.

Dereon Seabron – a two-way player who averaged 18.4 points per G League game – was called up to New Orleans for five games. In 27 appearances with the Squadron, he scored 497 points and logged 932 minutes of court time.

He was re-signed to a two-way contract in April.

Two-way players are on the roster of both an NBA team and its G League affiliate.

“Did everybody like watching Dereon Seabron play here?” Saint asked the crowd. “Well, the G League has added a third two-way spot. So, imagine three Dereon Seabrons on your team. That’s the talent upgrade that the whole G League and the Squadron are looking at. One of our two-ways last year was injured and you never saw him. His name is E.J. Liddell. He’ll be on our team next year, and we’ll add another person.

“Dereon’s been working really hard in New Orleans this last month and he’ll play on our summer league team. We’re going to put some new guys around him and it’s going to be much more exciting than last year.”

Molding two-way players into NBA-level performers is a primary task of a G League coaching staff, as well as giving them a strong supporting cast.

“The main assignment for us is to develop the two-way players into better NBA players, so to surround them with veterans who can support them is the main focus of me and our staff,” Saint said.

Before the Squadron takes the floor in the Uptown the Pelicans will return to Legacy Arena for a preseason clash with the Houston Rockets on Oct. 12. Last year the Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks met at Legacy with a sellout crowd of 15,486 on hand to watch.

Saint hopes those who come for that one will decide to make Squadron games part of their entertainment plans as well.

“A lot of the best basketball experiences I’ve had as a player or coach is traveling overseas and playing in different countries, and our trip to Mexico City, I felt like being in that arena with those fans and that soccer atmosphere, I felt like I was coaching an NBA game,” Saint said. “There was just a moment in that game when I thought, ‘This is big time.’ It was just a great moment for our players and staff and to get a win down there was special. We’d love to have that kind of atmosphere here.”

For more information about the upcoming season, call the Squadron ticket office at 205-719-0850 or go to birminghamsquadron.com.