Category: Basketball

They say it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

Truthfully, the NBA G League matchup between the Birmingham Squadron and Greensboro Swarm on Friday looked like it was going to be over pretty fast, with the visiting Swarm scoring on the New Orleans Pelicans’ developmental club early and often.

But after falling behind by as many as 19 points in the first half, Birmingham flipped the script after intermission to top the Charlotte Hornets’ farm club, 110-96, before 1,776 fans at Legacy Arena.

The Squadron entered the fourth quarter on top by five, and combined stingy defense with sharp shooting to outscore the team from North Carolina 30-21 in the frame and win going away.

The 33-point swing allowed T.J. Saint’s team to improve to 13-13 and stay in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race (one and a half games out of the final spot) with eight games remaining in the regular season.

“It’s a championship essence,” Saint said of his team’s ability to rally. “We came out flat, but it didn’t bother us. We were down seven at the half, but we really challenged them to make a push for the playoffs.”

Malcolm Hill, the G League’s leading scorer and now on a two-way contract with the Pelicans, led the winners with 29 points.

“I’ve nicknamed him the Terminator,” Saint said. “He’s one of the most locked in dudes you’ve ever seen. He puts time in on his own, extra … he’s a gift, man. He’s awesome.”

Jalen Crutcher finished with 17 points, E.J. Liddell had 15, Karlo Matkovic came off the bench to score 14 points and grab seven rebounds, and Dereon Seabron picked up a double-double (12 points, 12 assists).

The victors won the battle for points in the paint, 58-36.

Amari Bailey paced Greensboro (11-15) with 25 points, while Jaylen Sims was good for 17 points and 10 boards.

Other twin-figure Swarm players were Marcus Garrett (14) and Kent Bazemore (11).

The Swarm dominated the first quarter, grabbing an 11-2 lead right out of the gate and holding a 29-16 advantage after 12 minutes. Birmingham was just two of 11 from 3-point range, and Bailey had already racked up 12 Greensboro points when the horn sounded.

The Swarm led by 19 in the second period before the Squad starting chipping away. With just :54 to go before halftime a Landers Nolley trey cut the deficit to 50-46, and Greensboro had to settle for a 53-46 upper hand at the break.

Hill and Crutcher did much of the heavy lifting for the hosts in the first half, scoring 17 and 12 points, respectively.

Hill took over early in the third, tying the game with a free throw (55-all) at 9:50 and giving Birmingham its first lead of the night moments later with a 3-pointer.

His second consecutive trey at the 8:55 mark put his team in front, 60-55.

A Crutcher 3-pointer extended the advantage to 63-55, and then Seabron’s shot from outside the arc inflated the cushion to 66-55.

The Swarm kept their composure, however, whittling away at the Birmingham edge and slicing it to 80-75 with one quarter left to settle this one.

Next up: The Squadron hosts the Long Island Nets on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Nets are currently 14-11 and are in the sixth and final playoff position in the East.

Saluting the heroes: The Squadron is partnering with Children’s of Alabama and will wear specialty hero-themed uniforms featuring the names of Children’s of Alabama patients instead of player names on the back nameplate of the jerseys for Sunday’s matchup with the Nets.

“We are thrilled to honor the patients of Children’s of Alabama, as well as their families, with the hero-themed uniforms,” Squadron general manager Leslie Claybrook said. “When the patients see their names on our players’ jerseys, our goal is they see the players giving their all, like they do, to fight and persevere as true heroes and understand they have the Squadron’s full support.”

Each player’s game-worn jersey will be gifted to their respective Children’s of Alabama patient following the game.

OTD in 1948: The Birmingham Vulcans of the Southern Professional Basketball League saw their season come to an end with a 99-61 blowout loss to the Nashville Vols.

Bufford Maddox led Birmingham with 18 points and Red Glasgow added 14.

OTD in 1992: The Birmingham Bandits of the Continental Basketball Association defeated the Tulsa Zone, 128-106.

Skeeter Henry led the winners with 36 points while Eric Johnson notched the double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Chris Collier added 20 points off the bench in a contest that saw the Bandits score the first 12 points in a game played in front of just 347 fans at State Fair Arena.

I’m guessing in years to come, the Birmingham Squadron’s 124-112 victory over the Memphis Hustle last Sunday will not be discussed by sports historians.

It was, after all, simply a late season NBA G League game contested by teams trying to work themselves into playoff position in their respective conferences.

But you know what? I consider myself something of a sports historian, and I’m gonna talk about it today.

Why?

Because what Birmingham accomplished in Southaven, Mississippi, is one of the reasons I watch the G League.

And it’s one of the reasons you might want to consider watching it, too.

Being a farm club of the New Orleans Pelicans, the Squadron – like all G League squads – is a team in constant flux. Players go up, players come down, some are restricted in the minutes they can play. Any given game is a chess match for the coaching staff – and the chess pieces keep moving on their own.

The day before the Memphis game, T.J. Saint and his coaches learned that Malcolm Hill and two-way player Dereon Seabron had been transferred from the Squadron to the Pelicans.

Hill had started all 35 games he appeared in for Birmingham in 2023-24, and averages 21.9 points per game.

Seabron, who has battled injuries but been a standout with the Squadron for the past two seasons, pumps in 18.2 points per night while repping the Magic City.

Losing those guys was tough, but things got even tougher.

New Orleans also recalled Jalen Crutcher and E.J. Liddell from Birmingham.

Crutcher is good for 17.3 points in G League games, and Liddell pumps in 17.9 points and averages 8.2 rebounds each time out.

So, basically, Saint and company had 24 hours to put together a team that could be competitive on the road.

Mission accomplished.

Only seven players took the court, but all seven were key to the Squadron’s 12-point conquest.

“That win was a result of the culture we’ve built dating back to last season,” Saint said. “The players deserved to win, but earned it with how they believe in each other and the commitment to just doing your job. Whoever wears our jersey, there are standards we call Bars (readiness, attention to detail, being connected) to uphold in order to rep our organization and give yourself the best chance to make the NBA by being the most connected team in the league.”

Landers Nolley II recorded his second-career triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Tevian Jones tied Nolley for team high-scoring honors with 28, and Izaiah Brockington scored 27 points and snared 14 rebounds for a double-double.

Newcomer Karlo Matkovic continued his outstanding play with 17 points; Galen Robinson Jr. had nine points and eight assists; Josh Nzeakor came off the bench to score 20 points; and Nate Bradley – added to the roster on Sunday and a member of the inaugural Squadron team – scored five points in 12 minutes.

Birmingham shot 50 percent from three-point range and remains undefeated on the season when making at least half of its treys.

The Squadron (11-12) is now riding a three-game winning streak and heads into two-game road set against the Capital City G-Go just one and a half games out of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.

The Memphis game was an object lesson in just how talented G League rosters and coaches are. Regardless of the situation and regardless of who dresses out, they find a way to adjust.

And often – as was the case Sunday  –  the results are remarkable.

Look, I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m a huge fan of this team. It started in 2021-22 when Ryan Pannone – now a member of Nate Oats staff at Alabama – ran the show, and continues on in Saint’s second season at the helm.

Birmingham has only six regular season home games left at Legacy Arena. The Greensboro Swarm comes to town Friday, March 8, and the Long Island Nets provide the opposition on May 10-12.

The Osceola Magic pays a visit on March 19 and 21, and the Cleveland Charge is here on March 30.

It’s the best brand of domestic basketball this side of the NBA, and I absolutely love it.

Give it a chance, and you might learn to love it, too.

“We have four NBA contract players playing for us right now,” Saint said. “It’s the closest thing to the NBA. We play a fun style of offense and we play hard.

“Everyone be there next Friday versus Greensboro.”

Heading into Friday night’s clash between the Birmingham Squadron and Maine Celtics, the New Orleans Pelicans affiliate had only one season sweep of a two-game set against the same opponent. That came in December when T.J. Saint’s took two on the road against the Osceola Magic.

Now they have a pair on their 2023-24 resume – and the first at home.

Maine’s JD Davison – a 2022 second round draft pick out of Alabama – missed the second of two free throw attempts with 1.2 seconds left and Birmingham hung on for a 99-98 win in front of 2,233 fans at Legacy Arena.

A hotly contested fourth quarter was ultimately settled at the charity stripe as Squadron two-way player Dereon Seabron hit the first of two freebies with 8.5 seconds left to make the score 99-97.

“In the entire G League season, including the Showcase Cup, I believe we’re now 12-4 in close games,” Saint said. “Games like this make us better.”

The big story, however, involved Birmingham’s new big man – Karlo Matkovic. Just two games into his G League career, Matkovic recorded his first double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

“He’s really good,” Saint said. “And he’s going to be – over time – a very good NBA player. He’s been playing pro for a while (six seasons and three different teams in Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia) and we need a five (center) because we lost two in twelve days when Trey (Jemison) got called up and Ike (Anigbogu) got hurt. He fits in with exactly what we need.”

Matkovic was all smiles after the game. In two nights, he’s racked up 40 points and pulled down 19 boards.

“When I transferred from Europe to here, I expected there would be an adjustment,” said Matkovic, who played for KK Cedevita Olimpija of the Adriatic Basketball Association last season. “But the guys have really talked to me a lot and helped me out, and think that’s what’s really got me going.

“It’s an adjustment from Europe to here with the three-second lane violations and faster game play, and also knowing where to be on the court. There’s a lot of little stuff.”

All five starters for the Squadron (10-12) finished in double figures. Aside from Matkovic, E.J. Liddell scored 16 points, Malcolm Hill and Seabron each netted 14, and Jalen Crutcher accounted for 12 points.

Landers Nolley II came off the bench to score 11.

Birmingham is now two and half games out of the final playoff position with 12 games to go.

The Boston Celtics developmental team (11-11) was paced by Davison’s 19 points. Other Maine players to hit twin figures were Joe Wieskamp (15), Drew Peterson (13), Brandon Slater (13), DJ Steward (12) and Neemias Queta (12), who also had 12 rebounds for the double-double.

Birmingham got the upper hand early, leading by as many as 10 points in the first quarter. But Maine made a push late in the frame and the Squadron’s lead was down to five – 28-23 – when the horn sounded.

The Celtics managed to tie the score at 34-34 at the second period’s 7:49 mark, but the hosts never allowed them to take the lead. A surge in the final two minutes of the period helped Birmingham enter the locker room on top, 55-48.

The Squadron looked to blow this one open in the third, going up 63-50 9:29 into the quarter and grabbing all the momentum.

But Maine kept chipping away, slicing the deficit to one on a pair of occasions.

Heading into the fourth, Birmingham was clinging to a 74-71 lead.

The Celtics managed to take the lead once at 75-74, but when the final horn sounded it was the home team that owned the one-point edge.

Next up: The Squadron travels to Southaven, Mississippi, to meet the Memphis Hustle Sunday at 1 p.m.

Coaching ‘em up: Here’s a trivia question for you … who is the winningest coach in Birmingham professional basketball history?

That would be none other than the current Squadron coach.

Saint, who is winding down his second season guiding Birmingham’s G League team, won his 29^th game on January 11, which put him atop the leaderboard among Magic City pro hoop bosses.

Records of his predecessors are 28-20 (Ryan Pannone, Squadron, inaugural season); 27-34 (Mo McHone, Birmingham Bandits, Continental Basketball Association); 21-18 (Jim Price (interim coach of both the Birmingham Vulcans and Birmingham Steelers of the Southern Professional Basketball League); 17-5 (Fred Lewis, Birmingham Skyhawks, Professional Basketball League of America); 14-13 (Wheeler Fleming, Vulcans); 8-3 (Ben Chapman, Steelers); and 5-8 (Cherry Foster, Vulcans).

After tonight’s rematch with Maine, Saint is 37-51 overall.

Of course, the main goal of G League coaches is to get players ready for the next level, and Saint is certainly getting the job done in that respect.

“Coach Saint has distinguished himself in the area of player development for many years both in the G League and NBA levels,” said David Griffin, executive vice president of basketball operations for the Pelicans. “His growth as a head coach has been profound.”

OTD in 1992: The Birmingham Bandits of the CBA lost to the Columbus Horizon, 105-104.

Skeeter Henry had a career-high 42 points for Birmingham, while Dave Popson finished with 16 points.

Eric Johnson had a double-double with 15 points and 18 assists, and Michael Cutright also had 15 points.

OTD in 2023: The Squadron fell to the Oklahoma City Blue, 113-111, with 1,813 fans at Legacy Arena looking on. James Kelly Sr. had a double-double to lead Birmingham (18 points, 12 rebounds). Other double-digit me for the Squadron were Kelan Martin (16), Javonte Smart (15), Feron Hunt (14), Seabron (12) and Zylan Cheatham (11).