Birmingham Squadron to start second season at home after road-heavy 2021
Former University of Alabama standout John Petty Jr. prepares to deliver a pass during a Birmingham Squadron practice. The NBA G League team begins its second season at home Sunday vs. the Lakeland (Florida) Magic. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr. / Alabama NewsCenter)
A year ago, the Birmingham Squadron seemed to have a Willie Nelson tune on repeat on their mp3 player. They were on the road again – and again and again – as their inaugural G League season began.
The Squadron, an affiliate of the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, was a team without a home then as its new digs at Legacy Arena were being completed.
That’s not the case this year as the Squadron gets set to tip off Season 2 at 5 p.m. Sunday in Birmingham against Florida’s Lakeland Magic, an affiliate of the Orlando Magic.
The home team will feature some familiar faces. The opening roster includes former University of Alabama guard John Petty Jr. and Jordan Swing, a Vestavia Hills High grad who played collegiately at UAB.
Montgomery native Leslie Claybrook, the general manager, said the 2021-22 season was an anomaly as renovations to Legacy Arena were finished later than expected, pushing back the traditional start of the season.
“It put us on the road for the first month of November,” Claybrook said. “In December, we got into Legacy and then had a condensed schedule from there because of the compactness of starting in December.
“This year, we’re off to a normal schedule,” she said, citing the 24-game slate that runs until the end of March. “There’s lots of excitement. Theme nights are going to be announced soon to kind of drive fan interest to those specific nights, with lots of giveaways.”
Birmingham Squadron prepares for 2022 season opener from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
T.J. Saint slides over from assistant coach to head coach this season. Another change will be the absence of the COVID restrictions that were in place last season.
“Our team’s going to be able to get out in the community and be a part of some community outreach,” Claybrook said, “doing community service and engaging more in the community to get them to know our community, and for the community to know our guys.”
Petty is a guy fans already know. The former Crimson Tide standout was on the Squadron’s opening-day roster in 2021 and became a fan favorite as a group of young fans called themselves the Petty Platoon.
“Everybody pretty much knows who I am,” he said. “It shows when they call my name, so I’m definitely up for that.”
Petty has one year of pro experience. By comparison, Swing is a grizzled veteran with eight pro seasons under his belt.
After beginning his pro career in the G League, the former Blazer put his passport to work with stints in Australia, Spain (two years), Belgium, Germany, Israel (two years) and a couple of months in Ukraine.
“I’ve kind of seen the world,” he said.
Sunday, he’ll see the Squadron’s home court. And Squadron fans will be able to squirrel away a treasured memory.
Claybrook said each G League player has the hope of making it to the NBA and fans will someday be able to say they remember seeing them before they made it big.
“We’re hoping that these young men that are competing will have that opportunity to have success here and make it on with the Pelicans or one of the other NBA teams,” Claybrook said, “and that they can say they got their start here in Birmingham, and what a wonderful experience it was that the community embraced them while they were with the Squadron.”
The general manager remembered visiting what is now Legacy Arena before the current upgrades. It was a great facility, she said, but needed some lifting from the community.
“It’s a tremendous basketball facility and we’re so fortunate in Birmingham to have it not only for the Squadron but for the high school tournament,” Claybrook said. “Young people get to come and play in a first-class facility and then also, now, the NCAA tournament.”
For tickets and information, call 205-719-0850 or go to birminghamsquadron.com.
