Category: Basketball

Devin Cannady has been a professional basketball player for six seasons, and currently hones his craft as a guard with the NBA G League’s Birmingham Squadron. He averaged 10.2 points per game during the Showcase Cup portion of the Squadron’s 2023-24 season, and through five regular season contests is scoring 9.2 points per outing.

His wife, Katie Lou Samuelson, has six WNBA seasons on her resume, following a decorated college career with the UConn Huskies. She is now with the Los Angeles Sparks.

Hoops is likely a hot topic of conversation in their home, but so is parenthood; they welcomed their first child last August. And while all parents want their kids to succeed, Cannady decided to put his hopes and dreams for his daughter in writing.

Cannady is the author of Aliya Can, a book “for all parents who want their children to believe that they can achieve anything they set out to do.”

The book – set for release on Monday, January 15 – is illustrated by Danika Runyan.

“My wife and I were just having a conversation on the way to our honeymoon,” said Cannady, who’ll suit up for the New Orleans Pelicans’ affiliate tonight in a road game against the Memphis Hustle. “And we were just thinking, ‘Hey, how great would it be to write a book for our daughter about our daughter?’ She’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’d be so fun. How would you ever do something like that?’”

Cannady, who says he’s always looking to learn new things, began to investigate what such an undertaking would involve. So, he decided to Google “How to write a book.”

Eight months later, his book was written.

“That brings us where we are today, where we have a physical copy in hand and they’re ready to be distributed,” he said. “It’s really been a process of learning for me.”

Cannady said he hopes Aliya Can is something that his daughter can one day read and know that it was for and about her, but also provide a positive impact for other children and their parents.

“I guess it sounds cheesy or cliché, but I just wrote it from my heart,” he said. “When you think about children’s books, and study some of the classics with a rhyme scheme, you want to do something that’s quick-hitting and that kind of flows, almost like a nursery rhyme. So that’s what I had in mind from day one.

“When I talked about it with my wife, I was like, ‘This is the vision I have. Let me just speak from my heart and see what that end product could be.’ And honestly, it didn’t take very long for me to come up with what is now the final product.”

Although aimed at young kids, the message is universal.

“It blends in with my ethos of believing in yourself and having confidence,” he said. “I think that’s something that parents or anyone, for that matter, can embrace, and inspire kids to believe in themselves and achieve anything at a young age. That’s something I’m going to be preaching to my daughter her whole life. So, I figured I’d get it in book form. Once it’s out there, I can say that’s my philosophy.”

His Squadron coaches and teammates have been supportive of his project ever since they found out it was almost ready for publication a few weeks ago.

“A lot of my teammates just look at me like, ‘Are you kidding me … you’re doing that?’ So, they’re all super excited for me. I think a couple of guys, even coaches, are looking to purchase some for siblings and cousins, and it’s really exciting to have that support.”

And while fatherhood might not have changed his approach to basketball, it most certainly has changed him as a person.

“One hundred percent, yes,” he said. “Once you’re in that delivery room, and in the moment she’s born … it’s a feeling you can’t truly describe or put into words. But you feel kind of this overwhelming sense of joy, and also a sense of responsibility. For someone like me who’s been in the NBA, who has goals and aspirations and feels a need to give back, it just raises that level of focus and intensity.”

Aliya Can will be available through Barnes & Noble or you can get further information by clicking on Cannady’s bio link on Instagram at devin_cannady3.

It seems appropriate – although disappointing for most of the 1,477 fans in the building – that on Star Wars Night at Legacy Arena, the force was with the visiting Sioux Falls Skyforce.

I mean, it’s literally in their name.

But for T.J. Saint and company, it was a timeout that was forced upon them that contributed to their undoing.

The Miami Heat affiliates entered the G League clash against the Birmingham Squadron with a circuit-best 4-0 record and exited with a 5-0 mark after topping the New Orleans Pelicans’ developmental club (1-4), 121-116.

With the Squadron trailing 115-111, the home team forced a turnover thanks to a Malcolm Hill steal with 24 seconds remaining and were headed for a transition bucket.

Instead, an official said the Birmingham bench had called a timeout.

That was news to Saint.

“I have no idea,” said Saint, obviously frustrated. “(The official) said he heard a player call a timeout, but I don’t see how he knew who it was because he wasn’t looking. He just guessed.”

The Squadron still managed to pull within one at 117-116 – and with the score 119-116, Kira Lewis Jr. had a chance to tie it with three seconds left – but his 3-pointer wouldn’t fall.

Lewis, on assignment from the parent club, led Birmingham with 29 points.

Trey Jemison had a career-high 21 points to go with 17 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double in a row and eighth in the last 10 outings.

“I’ve played more basketball this year than I’ve played my entire life,” Jemison said. “I’m just in a rhythm now.”

Hill also had 21 points, and Jalen Crutcher contributed 14.

Despite solid numbers, Saint was disappointed in his side’s unforced errors.

“This is the first time in 20 games I had no clue who that team was,” Saint said. “It wasn’t a physical energy thing because we improved in the second half, but it was a mental thing. And you can’t do that and be a good team.”

Center Orlando Robinson had a monster game for the winners, tallying 41 points – included a trio of baskets from 3-point range – and snatching 13 rebounds.

Justin Champagnie scored 26 points, followed by Alondes Williams, Jamaree Bouyea (17), and Caleb Daniels (12).

Sioux Falls took control of the game early, racing out to a 42-25 first quarter lead. Robinson had already amassed 15 points and six rebounds after just 12 minutes, and registered a double-double (23 points and 10 boards) by intermission.

Birmingham rallied in the second quarter, slicing the Sioux Falls lead to just six points at the 8:11 mark. But Robinson got busy again and allowed his team to get most  of those points back, and at halftime the visitors held a 65-50 advantage.

The Squadron regrouped after the break and got right back in the game in the third period.

A Lewis layup made it a three-point game (75-72) with 5:32 left in the frame, and Hill’s 3-pointer at 4:05 cut the deficit to 77-75.

When the buzzer sounded the Skyforce was clinging to a 91-86 lead, and Birmingham still had a quarter to flip the script.

They almost did – but wound up on the losing end of a game in which they led only once (6-4).

Road weary: Friday was the regular season home opener for Birmingham, who played two games at Indiana and then a pair of back-to-back days against Grand Rapids.

The team has logged a lot of minutes in a short time, and it showed – especially early in the loss to the Skyforce.

“We got back (Thursday morning), some of us were under the weather and we got some meds and got right but man, it was a long trip,” Jemison said. “We’ve played five games in seven days, and it’s my first time to do that as a rookie to play that many games so fast, so I’m just trying to adjust to the flow.

“You want to keep playing at your top level every day, but it’s kinda rough. You could tell today we were exhausted the first 20 minutes.”

Honoring legends: As part of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration – and as a salute to Birmingham’s role in the civil rights movement – the Squadron will wear Birmingham Black Barons specialty jerseys for games against Raptors 905 on January 13 and January 15.

The jerseys have a black torso design and BBB across the chest, as well as the outline of the Magic City skyline on the shorts.

A tribute to the Negro League baseball team that played here from 1920-1960, the jersey was designed to “honor the players and history of this part of the cultural heritage of the Birmingham community.”

 “We are honored to celebrate and recognize the Birmingham Black Barons with the donning of these specialty jerseys,” Squadron general manager Leslie Claybrook said. “The history of the Black Barons in the Magic City and nationally is quite remarkable and needs to continue to be told. These specialty jerseys play a small role in keeping the legacy top-of-mind.”

Game-worn jerseys will be auctioned at Legacy Arena during both games and proceeds of the jersey will benefit the Negro League Baseball Museum.

OTD in 1948: The Birmingham Vulcans of the Southern Professional Basketball League lost to the Jackson (Mississippi) Senators, 48-47. Jackson’s Charley Ward hit two free throws in the waning seconds to secure the victory for the hosts.

Birmingham was led by Shag Hawkins’ 12 points.

OTD in 2022: The Squadron fell to the Stockton Kings, 103-80, at Stockton Arena.

Tra Holder led Birmingham with 15 points, while Joe Young and Riley LaChance finished with 14 points apiece.

OTD in 2023: The Squadron dropped a 113-107 decision to the South Bay Lakers at the UCLA Health Training Center.

Kelan Martin and Javonte Smart each pumped in 28 points, with Kalob Ledoux chipping in 22.

Zylan Cheatham had 10 points to go with 11 rebounds for the double-double.

Next up: Birmingham is back on the road Thursday for a matchup with the Memphis Hustle at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi.

Tip time is 7 p.m.

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.

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.”