In the NBA G League, teams don’t necessarily build from scratch from one year to the next, but they do start over.
And when the Birmingham Squadron hosts the Austin Spurs on Friday at Legacy Arena in a Showcase Cup clash, the home team boss thinks it could be the beginning of something special.
“I’m hoping for a pretty big turnout for first game on Friday night against Austin,” said Squadron head coach T.J. Saint. “I think we’re going to be a very fun team for people to watch and I think they’re going to be able identify with this team. And we can shoot it – we can really shoot it. I think that’s gonna bring a lot of excitement for the fans.”
When training camp concluded earlier Thursday at Legacy Arena, Saint told his players it was the best one he’d ever been part of.
“We targeted specific skill sets on the court, but we also targeted specific character traits this summer and brought back certain players with those character traits,” Saint said. “We’ve had a little bit of good-natured back and forth, and it’s been a lot of fun.
“I asked them how camp felt after Wednesday’s practice and ‘fun’ was the word three guys said immediately. We have a pretty unique group personality-wise. I’m just kind of standing back and watching it click, and we’ll see how we compete tomorrow, but I am excited.”
The New Orleans Pelicans’ affiliate will have access to new firepower in two-way players Matt Ryan and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, while Dereon Seabron, the two-way player who was a breakout star for Birmingham in 2022-23, returns.
Seabron averaged 18.4 points per game for Birmingham last year and 14.3 points during the Showcase Cup in-season tournament. In New Orleans’ 122-101 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday, he came off the bench to score nine points.
Robinson-Earl hit for 11 points and snatched nine boards in a spot start against the Timberwolves – just missing a double-double – while Ryan tallied 12 points and grabbed four rebounds in 26 minutes on the floor.
“With New Orleans in the injury situation they’re in, it’s TBD on when we’ll see the two-way guys here,” Saint said.
The opening night roster features Landers Nolly II (G), Liam Robbins (C), Tevian Jones (G), Pavel Savkov (G), Jalen Crutcher (G), Galen Robinson Jr. (G), Izaiah Brockington (G), Devin Cannady (G), Malcolm Hill (G), and UAB product Trey Jemison (C).
A notable new face is Savkov, Birmingham’s lone 2023-24 draft pick. The 6-7 Russian has played professionally for Saski Baskonia in Spain’s Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.
“In general, the game is different in America,” Savkov said. “The game is faster and the rules are different. But it’s just step by step, getting better, understanding new things.”
Saint said Savkov has already shown great shooting ability.
Hill – a member of the original Squadron team in 2021-22 – is back with the club, and Jemison will provide local fans with a hometown player to cheer on.
Heading into a new campaign, Hill says the team has already developed a tight bond.
“We compete really hard and we have a camaraderie,” he said. “We enjoy each other on and off the court, so it makes it easier for us to play together on the court and compete at a very high level.
“Iron sharpens iron, and that’s how we’ve approached practice. And we spend more time with each other than we do family members, so it’s good that we do like each other and can enjoy each other’s success.”
Crutcher, who joined the team from the Greensboro Swarm in September as part of the John Petty Jr. trade, agrees.
“We really do like each other and I think that’s gonna show on the court,” he said. “A group of us were in New Orleans together before training camp and we definitely became close.”
Saint, who begins his second season as head coach of Birmingham, is bullish on the team’s chemistry.
“We build our structure culturally around three different standards,” Saint explains. “I call them bars – readiness, being the first team ready; having high attention to detail; and then the most important thing to us as a group is being connected. We’ve created a connected team, and you’ll be able to see that because we’re just a part of the fabric of this city.”
The first 16 games of 2023-24 will be part of the Showcase Cup, which concludes with the Winter Showcase December 19-22. Then, all records are reset and the 34-game regular season tips-off on December 27.
Last season the Squadron finished 6-12 in Showcase Cup play and 11-21 in the regular season, missing out on the playoffs.
Those records, truthfully, have absolutely nothing to do with the team fans will see throughout this fall and winter.
It’s a whole new ballgame.
“I really hope fans will come and watch some great basketball,” Saint said. “These guys are working toward the NBA and while the G League isn’t the NBA, it’s the next best thing.”
Tip-off for Friday’s game is 7 p.m. For ticket info, go to Birmingham.gleague.nba.com.