The G League is a developmental circuit for the NBA, but Tuesday night at Legacy Arena the clash between the Birmingham Squadron and Texas Legends seemed more like a throwback to the late, great American Basketball Association.
Played at a dizzying pace and featuring 38 3-pointers, 96 points in the paint, 18 lead changes and some hot tempers that resulted in three technical fouls, Birmingham took a 134-121 victory in front of 1,389 fans.
The win improves the New Orleans Pelicans’ affiliate to 4-1 in the Showcase Cup standings, while the Dallas Mavericks’ farmhands slip to 2-3.
Two-way guard Dereon Seabron had a phenomenal performance in the win, netting a career-high 37 points and dishing out 11 assists to secure the double-double. It was the second most points ever scored by a Squadron player in a single game.
“I feel like I was due for it,” Seabron said. “That first game (on Sunday) I had to get used to playing with new players because I’d been in New Orleans since the summertime, and I had to adjust to everybody’s playing style and what spots they wanted to be in.”
Malcolm Hill also had a big night for the winners with 24 points, followed by Izaiah Brockington (17), Landers Nolley (16), Devin Cannady (14) and Jalen Crutcher (13).
“Dereon’s a very unique player,” Birmingham coach T.J. Saint said. “His IQ is really high, he’s very quick, he’s powerful. And over the last year since I’ve had him, his development and decision making is just way better. He’s a special dude. I think he can earn an NBA contract.”
Greg Brown III led Texas with 26 points and got plenty of help from former UAB standout Jelly Walker, who finished with 20 points.
Dexter Dennis contributed 17 points, A.J. Lawson added 16, Juston Jackson scored 14, Theo Pinson had 12 and Joe Wieskamp closed out double-figure Legends with 10.
Brown had seven 3-pointers before finally cooling off.
Leading by just six entering the fourth quarter, Birmingham asserted itself with solid defense and dead-eye shooting.
The Squadron moved in front 122-109 with under six minutes remaining and – with the Legends finally misfiring from beyond the arc – hung on for the victory.
“There’s a lot of talent on the floor,” Saint said. “Brown, and A.J. Lawson’s played a lot of games. And they’re really good and very talented, and they’re not even all the way healthy.
“And I think our guys are gonna get even better throughout the year. I hope the fans keep coming. They’ll see some good basketball.”
UAB product Trey Jemison opened the game with a dunk and Walker followed with the Legends’ first bucket, setting the tone for a frenetic first quarter.
Jemison picked up his second foul four minutes in – forcing him to the bench early – but hot shooting from Seabron and Nolley helped negate the size disadvantage.
Cannady and Brockington came through with some timely 3-pointers, and Birmingham led 37-33 after one.
Brown and Walker continued to have a hot hand for Texas in the second stanza, allowing Jordan Sears’ charges to quickly erase the deficit and move in front 65-59 with 3:06 to go before halftime.
But Birmingham reeled off three straight buckets to tie the game at 65-all with 1:22 on the clock.
Taze Moore scored a putback for Texas to put the Legends back on top but a Hill trey – as well as a pair of free throws and a technical foul shot – gave the Squadron a 71-67 edge in the waning moments.
Brown, however, beat the buzzer with his fourth 3-pointer of the first half and cut the Birmingham lead to 71-70 with 24 minutes still to play.
After the teams combined for 25 3-pointers over the first two quarters, it was more of the same in the third.
When Birmingham and Texas weren’t dropping it in from long range, they were racking up points in transition. The result was another frenzied period, and when the horn sounded the home team was clinging to a 104-98 lead.
In the final 12 minutes, the hosts were finally able to put some distance between themselves and the visitors.
Birmingham won the rebounding battle, 45-43, and had just 12 turnovers to 19 for Texas.
“There’s something new we’re doing this year,” Saint said. “There’s offense, there’s defense and we have a third thing called ‘crashense.’ So, we’re sending four to the glass no matter what. It’s something (assistant coach) Joe Barrer, who was the head coach in Lakeland for the last two years, did, and something that I really liked.”
Trey vs. Jelly, Part 2: Jemison dealt with foul trouble and was limited to eight rebounds and six points.
Walker’s 20 points included six from 3-point range, and he also had eight assists.
The two-game set in Birmingham is the last scheduled meeting between the two teams this season – and the two former Blazers.
Making history: With the Squadron’s third season underway, head coach T.J. Saint has already entered the record book.
How?
Well, in the annals of Birmingham pro basketball, he is the first coach to lead a Magic City-branded team into action to start two consecutive seasons.
Of course, it helps that the G League team has survived more than one campaign – a feat no other local pro hoop franchise accomplished.
In 1947, Fred Lewis logged a 17-5 record as coach of the Birmingham Skyhawks of the Professional Basketball League of America. That circuit folded before finishing its first and last season.
The Birmingham Vulcans (1947-48) of the Southern Professional Basketball League went through three coaches – Wheeler Fleming (13-13) to start, then Cherry Foster (5-8) and finally Jim Price (7-7), the team owner who served out the year as coach.
The Vulcans folded but in 1948 the Birmingham Steelers joined the SPBL, and head coach Ben Chapman was 8-2 before leaving the team. (Chapman was better known as an all-star baseball player for the New York Yankees and later manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He disgraced himself by shouting racist slurs at Jackie Robinson during the 1947 season, and was ultimately fired by the National League club).
Price was owner of the Vulcans as well, and again took the coaching reigns to finish out the one-and-done season, going 14-11.
Jump to 1991 and the Birmingham Bandits of the Continental Basketball Association; Mo McHone was 27-34.
And Ryan Pannone held the top job when the Squadron came to Birmingham in 2021-22, leading the club to a 27-20 record.
Saint’s first team was 17-33 overall and he is off to a 4-1 start in 2023-24.
Next up: Birmingham hosts the Memphis Hustle on Sunday at 3 p.m. The theme is “Commander’s Birthday,” and the first 1,000 fans will receive a stuffed animal version of the team mascot.