Category: Basketball

The Birmingham Squadron’s Saturday started with news that center Trey Jemison had signed a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards – taking an average of 13.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game with him to the NBA.

It ended with the New Orleans Pelicans’ G League affiliate scoring an impressive 126-105 victory over the Cleveland Charge in front of 1,664 fans at Legacy Arena.

Playing small(er) ball in the absence of Jemison, Birmingham got several good performances on the night, especially in the second half. The effort improved the Squadron to 5-5 in the regular season and marks the club’s third consecutive victory.

The Charge, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ developmental team, fell to 4-5.

“I just told them that was the most impressive win of our season, in my opinion,” Birmingham coach T.J. Saint said moments after the game. “We’ve come a long way and we have a long way to go, but to keep your head when all those about you are losing theirs, we did that. The timeout midway through the third quarter, we watched Cleveland walk to their bench distraught, and we told them we’re gonna press where it hurts.

“These guys are unbelievable.”

Izaiah Brockington had 29 points and 11 rebounds to register the double-double, while Malcolm Hill continued his hot shooting with a game-high 30 points.

“I came out wanting to be aggressive,” Brockington said. “I just wanted to get downhill and build off of that … make threes, and make plays for my teammates.”

E.J Liddell added 16 points, Devin Cannady scored 14 and Jalen Crutcher finished with 10.

“I think Izaiah deserves a chance in the NBA,” Saint said. “I think he’s a Bruce Brown (Toronto Raptors small forward) type player, but he can shoot better. Just give him a chance.”

Birmingham crushed Cleveland on the boards, 54-39.

“We’ve been emphasizing our defense, and with Trey being called up, we changed a few things,” Saint said. “But NBA basketball … you can’t practice a lot, you can only walk through, go to film sessions, and adjust. And they did that – they adjusted.”

Sharife Cooper topped Charge scorers with 22 points, followed by Isaiah Mobley (20), Aleem Ford (20), Emoni Bates (14), Devontae Shuler (12) and Malik Fitts (10).

Brockington and Cannady had hot hands for Birmingham in the first quarter, scoring 10 and nine points, respectively, to help the home team grab a 32-25 lead after 12 minutes.

But Bates and Mobley got busy for the Charge in the second frame, allowing the visitors to quickly erase the deficit and surge ahead.

The biggest boost for Cleveland came from Ford, who came off the bench to net 14 points.

But even after allowing the Charge to lead by as many as eight, the Squadron rallied in the waning moments of the quarter to take a 64-63 lead into the locker room.

Hill – who started off slow by Hill standards – finished the first half with 14 points to tie Cannady for high-point honors across the opening 24 minutes.

Liddell opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer, and Birmingham scored the first nine points of the period to go up by 10. It started a trend, and with Cleveland struggling from the inside and outside, Birmingham was able to gain some breathing room and take a 99-85 lead into the final quarter.

The Squadron turned it into a blowout in the fourth, leading by as many as 26 points before settling on a 21-point blowout.

As of late Saturday night, Birmingham was just a half game out of playoff position and one and a half games out of first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Long Island Nets lead the East with a 7-4 record.

“We try to take every game as it comes, and focus on the task at hand, which is winning the next game,” Brockington said.

“But we knew with this home stretch we needed to capitalize on it, so we definitely want to stack wins on top of each other.”

The Mayor goes to Washington: Sad news for Birmingham basketball fans was very good news for one of their favorite players as Jemison – nicknamed “The Mayor” – got his NBA shot with the Wizards.

The former UAB standout played 24 games with the Squadron, recording 11 double-doubles over the last 14 contests.

A 10-day contract means a free agent signs a contract that lasts 10 days or three games, whichever comes later. A player can also be signed to a second 10-day contract by the same club.

Shortly after Jemison’s departure was announced, the team added forward Josh Nzeakor, who has played for three G League teams this season and appeared in a Squadron jersey 15 times in 2022-23.

Last year he averaged 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds for Birmingham.

OTD in 1948: The Birmingham Vulcans of the Southern Professional Basketball League lost to the Young Men’s Hebrew Association Bluejackets, 39-33, in a March of Dimes charity game played at the Municipal Auditorium.

Former Vulcans Ben Browdy and Abe Epsman led the YMHA upset with 12 points each.

Shag Williams was the high-scorer for Birmingham with 13 points.

OTD in 1992: The Birmingham Bandits of the Continental Basketball Association defeated the Rockford Lightning, 112-98, in front of 654 fans at State Fair Arena.

Despite dressing just eight players – two players left the Bandits to play internationally and one was suspended – Birmingham dominated the game.

Skeeter Henry scored 37 points on seven-of-21 shooting, and Jim Farmer added 25.

Next up: The Squadron hits the road for a two-game set against the Wisconsin Herd, the G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks. The first game is Monday, 6 p.m., at Oshkosh Arena and the teams meet again on Wednesday, January 24, at 6 p.m. Birmingham returns home on Sunday, January 28, when the Windy City Bulls come to Legacy Arena for a 3 p.m. game.

Aside from being a member of the first Birmingham Squadron team and a main focus of Alex Squadron’s terrific book, Life in the G, Malcolm Hill is one of those players who always seems to give the kind of performance that is needed on any given night.

Hill played in all 16 of the Squadron’s Showcase Cup contests and averaged 19.3 points while playing 34.8 minutes per game.

Entering tonight’s regular season contest, Hill had popped in 21.5 points per night, averaging 35.2 minutes of court time.

He’s not only a fan favorite, but a favorite of his coach.

“He is what Squadron basketball is all about,” Birmingham boss T.J. Saint said earlier in the week. “He is one of my favorite human beings. We talked to him this summer and he came back here to try and make one more push. He is one of the foundational pieces forever of the Birmingham Squadron, and I love him to death.”

Hill showed why he’s so easy to love on Thursday in Birmingham’s 134-125 victory over the Iowa Wolves at Legacy Arena.

Hill turned in a next-level performance for the New Orleans Pelicans’ G League affiliate, recording an all-time team record 44 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for a double-double. It came just three days after he scored 30 in a win over Raptors 905.

“It was a great win,” said Hill, whose team improves to 4-5. “It was good to start a little bit of a win streak, and it’s always good to protect the home court. The coaching staff did a great job preparing us and (Iowa) played a great game.”

Hill had offensive help from E.J. Liddell, who scored 24 points, and Jalen Crutcher, who added 20.

Izaiah Brockington finished with 17 points and Trey Jemison had a game-high 15 rebounds.

Tyrese Martin came off the bench to lead Iowa (2-7) with 29 points, followed by Leonard Miller (28), Josh Minott (19), D.J. Carlton (17), Lance Stephensen (14) and Javonte Cooke (11).

“I thought Martin and Cooke hit some really good, contested threes,” Saint said. “They were timely and kind of kept them in it. I didn’t think our defense was bad, they just hit contested shots.”

Hill was lights out in the first quarter, netting 17 points to help the Squadron take a 38-31 lead. Liddell added 10 Birmingham points while no Iowa player had more than seven through the first 12 minutes.

The Minnesota Timberwolves farm hands stormed back in the second stanza, however, with Miller and Minott combining for 25 points, Carlton pumping in 11 and Martin logging 10 more.

Hill and Liddell continued to set a torrid pace for the Squadron, and at halftime Hill had accounted for 28 points, Liddell was good for 18, and Birmingham was on top, 75-67 – a Squadron record for most points in an opening half.

Both teams shot the ball well in the third frame, playing each other even. Hill made his 30^th point 1:12 into the period and heading into the fourth quarter the home team’s lead stood at eight, 105-97.

The eventual winners never pulled away completely over the final 12 minutes but they were able to keep the Wolves at bay to secure their second consecutive victory.

“This was a big-time win, especially against a team that played a really good basketball game,” Hill said. “It was a point of emphasis for us tonight to finish the job, finish the possession … early in the season we had a problem securing the rebound on second chance points and points in the paint, so it felt good to make a contribution there.”

Just over a fourth of the way through the regular season, Saint thinks his team might be ready to make a push.

“We’ve got to make up a little ground, but these guys keep exhibiting champion-like essence,” Saint said. “If we can just get healthy, get the right pieces when (two-way player Dereon Seabron) comes back and Landers Nolley is back in the fold, then we’ve got a chance.

“We talked about over the summer bringing in championship-type people, and you can tell this is a real team who cares a lot about each other. They’re a lot of fun to coach.”

Thanks for the memories: Kira Lewis Jr.’s MLK Day appearance for the Squadron was his last.

The Pelicans announced on Wednesday they had traded the former Alabama star and a 2024 draft pick to the Indiana Pacers for cash considerations.

Lewis Jr. averaged 5.4 points per game for New Orleans over four seasons.

In three appearances for Birmingham, he averaged 22.3 points and his two free throws in the waning moments proved to be the difference in the Squadron’s 108-105 victory over Raptors 905 on Monday.

OTD in 1948: The Birmingham Vulcans beat the Nashville Vols, 76-53, in a Southern Professional Basketball League game played at the National Guard Armory.

Horace Peterson led the charge, with Steve Kontos finishing with 15 points and Shag Hawkins and Wheeler Leeth finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

OTD in 1949: The Birmingham Steelers of the SPBL lost to the Laurel Oilers, 73-65, in front of 1,500 fans in Laurel, Mississippi.

Johnny Murphy paced the Steelers, scoring 21 points, while Bob Murphy added 15 more.

Up next: Birmingham closes out its home stand on Saturday when the Cleveland Charge, G League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers, comes to Legacy Arena for a 7 p.m. tip.

It’ll mark the first-ever meeting between the Squadron and Charge.

The Birmingham Squadron closed out its MLK Celebration Weekend with a performance worth celebrating.

Malcolm Hill scored a game-high 30 points and Kira Lewis Jr. and E.J. Liddell – assigned to Birmingham from the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday morning – provided plenty of help as T.J. Saint’s club nipped Raptors 905, 108-105, before 1,115 fans at Legacy Arena.

Lewis Jr.’s two free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining iced the G League matinee game for the hosts, who improve to 3-5 overall.

Raptors 905 out of Mississauga, Ontario, slip to 3-6.

“Credit to Toronto,” Saint said after the game. “(Eric Khoury) is a friend of mine and does a great job, but I give a lot of credit to our guys. It was a  crazy game, and it got a little too tight at the end because we had some self-inflicted wounds, but what I really like is our defense is getting better.”
Lewis Jr. finished with19 points and dished out nine assists, and Liddell and Trey Jemison each had 16 points to go with 11 rebounds. For Jemison, it was his seventh consecutive double-double and 11^th in the last 13 games.

Izaiah Brockington accounted for 11 Birmingham points.

Kevin Obanor led 905 with 21 points, Markquis Nowell notched the double-double with 20 points and 11 boards, and Justise Winslow scored 19.

Mouhamadou Gueye and Javon Freeman-Liberty closed out double figure scorers for the visitors with 16 points apiece.

With Birmingham leading 91-89 with 8:03 to go, the eventual winners stepped up the defensive intensity and outscored the Toronto Raptors affiliate 12-2 over the next four minutes.

Ultimately, that provided them with just enough of a cushion once things got hairy down the stretch.

“We switched to a coverage we call Drop 15 where we put Trey back in the paint instead of up on the pick-and-roll, and then we relied his development on defense which has just been great to protect the rim,” Saint said.

As for Hill, it was another good day at the office.

“I’m experienced, but I also think games like this are due to the work I put in,” said Hill, who was on the original Squadron roster in 2021-22. “But my teammates uplift me. Last game I played terrible, but the coaches and other players were still encouraging me to play well. Things worked out well today.”

Liddell wasted no time making an impact, scoring 10 points over seven minutes in the first quarter to help Birmingham grab a 30-25 lead. Hill – setting the tome for his big day – scored nine.

Hill continued his hot shooting in the second frame, ending the first half with 20 points. Although turnovers allowed 905 to briefly take the lead and keep things close, the Squadron went into halftime on top, 57-53.

There was little separation between the teams in the third, with Nowell, Freeman-Liberty and Obanor doing much of the scoring work for the guests.

But Birmingham kept the Canadians at arm’s length, and entered the final 12 minutes with an 84-79 edge.

Despite a frenzied fourth, the home team hung on.

“Pressure builds diamonds,” Hill said. “I feel like a game like this, when it’s really tight, brings out not only the best in me, but the best in us as a team.”

OTD in 1948: The Birmingham Vulcans of the Southern Professional Basketball League lost to Montgomery Rebels, 66-59, in front of 800 fans at the National Guard Armory.

Ther game was billed as a replay of a protested game from December 19, and the result gave Montgomery a league-leading 22-2 mark while Birmingham slipped to 12-13.

Frank Wheeling was the high scorer for Birmingham with 19 points while Kenny Spiker paced the winners with 25 points.

OTD in 1949: The Birmingham Steelers of the SPBL beat the Laurel Oilers, 85-84, with 1,500 fans looking on at Municipal Auditorium.

Bob Murphy hit a free throw with nine seconds left in regulation to lift Birmingham to victory.

Joe Parker led the winners and all scorers with 27 points, while Murphy pumped in 19 – his last charity toss the biggest.

Next up: Birmingham hosts the Iowa Wolves on Thursday. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

It’s College Night, and fans are encouraged to dress repping their favorite school. The first 1,000 fans will receive a Squadron flag and halftime will feature a seven-minute basketball game with members of the Unless U Unicorns.