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Birmingham Squadron

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Birmingham Squadron
Birmingham Squadron logo
ConferenceEastern
LeagueNBA G League
Founded2019
HistoryErie BayHawks
2019–2021
Birmingham Squadron
2021–present
ArenaLegacy Arena
LocationBirmingham, Alabama
Team colorsRed, gold, navy blue[1]
     
Main sponsorPearl River Resort[2]
Head coachT.J. Saint[3]
OwnershipNew Orleans Pelicans (Gayle Benson, Governor)[3]
Affiliation(s)New Orleans Pelicans
Websitebirmingham.gleague.nba.com

The Birmingham Squadron are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Birmingham, Alabama, and are affiliated with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Squadron play their home games at Legacy Arena. The team began play in 2019 in Erie, Pennsylvania as the Erie BayHawks before moving to Birmingham in 2021.

History

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Creation

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On March 30, 2017, the New Orleans Pelicans announced their intentions to have an owned-and-operated NBA G League team by the 2018–19 season located in the Gulf South region.[4] The organization then announced they were looking at 11 different cities across Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.[5] By August 2017, the list had narrowed to two: Pensacola and Shreveport.[6] After the city council in Shreveport unanimously voted against building a new arena in September 2017,[7] the Pelicans' general manager Dell Demps stated they had put their efforts in creating a G League team on hold, saying that "[finding] the right situation, and the right city for the team to play is essential."[8]

On October 24, 2018, the Pelicans announced plans to place their G League team in Birmingham, Alabama, and begin play at Legacy Arena by 2022.[9] The plan included an extensive $125 million renovation to Legacy Arena.[10] While the renovations were ongoing, the Pelicans' affiliate began play for the 2019–20 season as the Erie BayHawks after the Atlanta Hawks relocated their G League affiliate from Erie, Pennsylvania, to College Park, Georgia.[11] In March 2021, the Pelicans hired David Lane as the team's general manager with the intent on relocating the team in time for the 2021–22 season.[12]

2019–2021: Erie BayHawks

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The Erie BayHawks became the New Orleans Pelicans' affiliate in the 2019–20 season.[13] Ryan Pannone, an assistant on the Pelicans' Summer League staff, was named the head coach of the BayHawks in August 2019.[14] He led the BayHawks to a 13–30 record in his first season, but the season was cancelled prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] The BayHawks played a shortened, 18-team season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in 2021 where they made the playoffs, losing to the Lakeland Magic in the quarterfinals 139–110.[16]

On April 8, 2021, Erie Basketball Management, LLC, the local management company that operated all three franchises as the Erie BayHawks teams, announced that the organization was unable to find another NBA partner team for 2021–22 and ceased operations.[17] Long-time BayHawks president Matt Bresee was honored with the Team Executive of the Year Award that summer, in recognition of his work in Erie.[18]

2021–present: Birmingham Squadron

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Following the completion of renovations to Legacy Arena, the franchise moved to Birmingham and officially became the Birmingham Squadron in 2021. The Squadron played their first home game in Birmingham on December 5, 2021, against the Capitanes de Ciudad de México in front of nearly 5,000 fans, where they lost 123–114.[19] The Squadron made the playoffs, falling to the Texas Legends at home in the first round 115–100.[20] The Squadron finished their inaugural season in Birmingham ranked second in league attendance.[21]

Following his first season in Birmingham, Ryan Pannone was asked to join Pelicans head coach Willie Green's staff in New Orleans full-time as an assistant.[22] Alongside the announcement of Pannone's move, the Pelicans announced that Squadron assistant T.J. Saint was being promoted to head coach.[23] In his first season, the Squadron finished with an 11–21 record in the regular season, 12th place in the Western Conference, and failed to reach the playoffs.

Name, logo, and uniforms

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On July 26, 2021, the Birmingham Squadron name, logo, and colors were revealed, with the name "Squadron" being chosen as both a reference to a collective noun used for a group of pelicans and to Alabama's history in military aviation such as the Tuskegee Airmen of the 99th Pursuit Squadron.[24] The Squadron logo is a star reminiscent of the Birmingham flag, and incorporates elements of the cultures and histories of both Birmingham and New Orleans.[25] The team typically wears red uniforms at home and white on the road.[26] At the start of the 2023–24 season, the Squadron announced a partnership with Pearl River Resort to display its logo on the Squadron's home jerseys.[2]

Season by season

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Tip–Off Tournament

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Season Division Finish Wins Losses Pct. Winter Showcase
Birmingham Squadron
2021–22 South 2nd 7 5 .583
2022–23 South 12th 6 12 .333
2023–24 South T–1st 8 6 .571
Tip–Off Tournament 21 23 .477

Regular season

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Season Conference Finish Wins Losses Pct. Postseason
Erie BayHawks
2019–20 Eastern 4th 13 30 .302 Season cancelled by COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 — 3rd 11 4 .733 Lost Quarterfinal (Lakeland) 110–139
Birmingham Squadron
2021–22 Western 4th 18 14 .563 Lost Conference Quarterfinal (Texas) 100–115
2022–23 Western 12th 11 21 .344
2023–24 Eastern T–10th 15 19 .441
Regular season 68 88 .436
Playoffs 0 2 .000

Head coaches

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# Head coach Term Regular season Playoffs Achievements
G W L Win% G W L Win%
1 Ryan Pannone 2019–2022 90 42 48 .467 2 0 2 .000
2 T.J. Saint 2022–present 66 26 40 .394 0 0 0 –

Current roster

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Birmingham Squadron roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
C 15 Anigbogu, Ike 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 252 lb (114 kg) 1998-10-17 UCLA
G 11 Boston, Brandon Jr. (TW) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2001-11-28 Kentucky
G/F 22 Bradley, Nate 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-02-25 Faulkner
F 8 Cain, Jamal (TW) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 191 lb (87 kg) 1999-03-20 Oakland
C 55 Jemison, Trey (TW) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1999-11-28 UAB
F 32 McLemore, Anfernee 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1998-06-19 Auburn
G 2 Payton, Elfrid 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1994-02-22 Louisiana
Head coach
  • T.J. Saint
Assistant coach(es)
  • Joe Barrer
  • Dante Milligan
  • Jordan Surenkamp
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (P) Prospects
  • (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: October 21, 2024

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Birmingham Squadron Reproduction and Usage Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Archived from the original on 2021-08-27. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Birmingham Squadron and Pearl River Ink First-Ever Jersey Patch Partnership". Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Staff — Birmingham Squadron". Birmingham.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "New Orleans Pelicans Announce Intent to Launch Owned-And-Operated NBA Development League Franchise in Gulf South Region". NBA.com. March 30, 2017.
  5. ^ "Mobile on preliminary list of sites for Pelicans' NBA D League affiliate". AL.com. March 31, 2017.
  6. ^ "Pensacola, Shreveport still in running for NBA G League team". AL.com. August 24, 2017.
  7. ^ "Shreveport Denies Arena For Pelicans G League Team; Pensacola Sits As Favorite". SB Nation. September 13, 2017.
  8. ^ "New Orleans Pelicans put G League plans on hold". 2Ways10Days.com. March 13, 2018.
  9. ^ "New Orleans Pelicans purchase NBA G-League Team to play in renovated Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama". October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  10. ^ Goodman, Joseph (2018-10-24). "Aggressive plan landed Birmingham G-League team". al. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  11. ^ "New Orleans Pelicans set to announce G-League affiliate in Birmingham". The Times-Picayune. October 23, 2018.
  12. ^ "David Lane named General Manager of Business Operations for Birmingham G-League Franchise". New Orleans Pelicans. March 11, 2021.
  13. ^ "Erie BayHawks and New Orleans Pelicans Announce Partnership". OurSports Central. 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  14. ^ Grubb, David (2019-08-15). "Pelicans tab Ryan Pannone head coach, Greivis Vásquez associate head coach to headline G League's Erie BayHawks staff". Crescent City Sports. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  15. ^ "NBA G League cancels remainder of 2019–20 season". NBA.com. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  16. ^ "Report: Erie Bayhawks among G League teams that will play short season in bubble". Erie Times-News. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  17. ^ "Erie BayHawks to Cease Operations". OurSports Central. April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  18. ^ "NBA G League Announces 2020-21 Season Awards for Franchise of the Year and Team Executive of the Year". OurSports Central. 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  19. ^ Byington, Pat (2021-12-06). "Birmingham Squadron draws nearly 5000 fans for inaugural game (PHOTOS) | Bham Now". bhamnow.com. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  20. ^ "SQUADRON CONCLUDES INAUGURAL SEASON WITH LOSS IN WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS". Birmingham.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures. April 6, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  21. ^ Walls, Anna (2022-04-01). "Squadron towards top of G League attendance for debut season in Birmingham". BVM Sports. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  22. ^ writer, CHRISTIAN CLARK | Staff (2022-09-15). "Ryan Pannone leaving Squadron for spot on Willie Green's staff". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  23. ^ "Birmingham Squadron name T.J. Saint as Head Coach, Billy Campbell as General Manager of Basketball Operations". Birmingham Squadron. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  24. ^ "Birmingham Squadron selected as team name for New Orleans Pelicans G League affiliate". New Orleans Pelicans. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  25. ^ "The Story Behind the Birmingham Squadron Logo". Birmingham.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  26. ^ "Birmingham Squadron unveil home jerseys for inaugural NBA G League season". Birmingham.GLeague.NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures. October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
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