Birmingham Squadron Announce Joe Barrer as Head Coach, Alex Kaufman as General Manager of Basketball Operations, Dillon Mcgowan as Associate General Manager
G League Birmingham Squadron

Birmingham Squadron Announce Joe Barrer as Head Coach, Alex Kaufman as General Manager of Basketball Operations, Dillon Mcgowan as Associate General Manager

Published on September 18, 2025 under NBA G League (G League)
Birmingham Squadron News Release


BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Birmingham Squadron, NBA G League affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans, today named Joe Barrer as the franchise's third head coach, while also naming Alex Kaufman as General Manager of Basketball Operations and Dillon McGowan as Associate General Manager. New Associate Head Coach JD DuBois joins Barrer on the coaching staff, along with assistant coaches Will Bynum, Danté Milligan, and AJ Carr.

Barrer brings a wealth of coaching experience to the Squadron and spent the past two seasons as an assistant on former head coach T.J. Saint's staff. Prior to joining the Squadron in 2023-24, Barrer served as head coach of the Lakeland (now Osceola) Magic of the NBA G League. In his time as head coach of the Magic, Barrer led the team to a 41-55 record, including finishing the 2022-23 season with a regular season record of 18-14. Prior to taking over as head coach, he spent four seasons in both assistant and associate head coach roles for Lakeland under head coach Stan Heath. During that time, the Magic were tied for most regular season wins in the league and won the 2021 NBA G League title. Before joining Lakeland, Barrer worked as an assistant coach for the Iowa Energy (Wolves) and held the same positions at Bethel University and Truman State University. He served as the head coach at Assumption High School in Davenport, Iowa for five seasons after beginning his coaching career at George Mason as director of basketball operations, during which time the Patriots advanced to the 2006 Final Four. Barrer played collegiately at Saint Ambrose University, helping lead his alma mater to the MCC championship in 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Kaufman returns to the New Orleans Pelicans organization for his seventh season- and his first with the Squadron. He comes to Birmingham after spending the past two seasons as manager of player evaluation and basketball operations with New Orleans, where he assisted in all day-to-day operations of both the pro and collegiate scouting departments. Kaufman originally joined the Pelicans in 2019-20 as basketball operations and scouting assistant, following a stint as basketball operations associate with the Charlotte Hornets during the 2018-19 season. He was promoted to scouting coordinator prior to the 2021-22 campaign. A New Orleans native, Kaufman attended the University of Texas, where he worked as a student manager and graduate assistant for the men's basketball team. Kaufman holds a bachelor's degree in sports management, as well as his master's in physical education.

McGowan enters his seventh season with New Orleans Pelicans G League affiliate teams after earning a promotion to associate general manager of basketball operations. A native of Prairieville, Louisiana, McGowan began his career with the Pelicans organization in 2019 as the equipment manager for the Erie Bayhawks and worked his way up to director of basketball operations with Birmingham, a role he held for the past two seasons. Prior to joining the Bayhawks, he worked as a video coordinator for the former Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA G League for the 2018-19 season. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 2016 and a master's in sports management in 2018, both from Louisiana State University. During his time at LSU, McGowan served as a graduate assistant with the men's basketball program.

DuBois comes to Birmingham as associate head coach for his first season with the Squadron, after three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to joining the Lakers as an assistant coach under Darvin Ham in 2022, DuBois held the same role on Dwane Casey's staff with the Detroit Pistons from 2018-2022. He came to Detroit with Dewane Casey, after beginning his professional coaching career as a player development coach for the Toronto Raptors. As a player, DuBois spent three seasons at Loyola Marymount University before transferring to the University of Utah, where he finished his collegiate career. He later played professionally in Cyprus. DuBois earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Utah and later received his master's in sports psychology and Ph.D. in sport and performance psychology from National University.

Bynum begins his first season with Birmingham as an assistant coach. The nine-year NBA veteran began his career with the Roanoke Dazzle, where he was named NBA D-League Rookie of the Year, before joining the Golden State Warriors in the 2005-06 season. After a stint in Israel, Bynum spent six seasons with the Detroit Pistons (2008-14) and finished his NBA career with the Washington Wizards in 2014-15. Collegiately, he played his first two seasons at the University of Arizona before transferring to Georgia Tech, where he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 2004 National Championship Game.

Milligan returns to Birmingham for his second season with the Squadron. Prior to joining the coaching staff ahead of the 2024-25 season, he served as the assistant video coordinator with the Brooklyn Nets. He also was assistant coach at New York University following his time as a graduate assistant coach at Saint Louis University. Before transitioning to coaching, Milligan played seven years of professional basketball, including three seasons in the NBA Development League (now NBA G league), playing for the Springfield Armor, Oklahoma City Blue, and Canton Charge. Collegiately, he was a two-year member of the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team before transferring to the University of Massachusetts. At Pittsburgh, he was part of the Panthers' 2004 Big East Regular Season Championship and NCAA Sweet Sixteen team. At Massachusetts, he played a key role in the schools 2008 run to the NIT Finals and earned All-Tournament honors. Milligan graduated from Massachusetts in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and a Bachelor of Science degree in sports management. He later earned his master's degree in student personnel administration from Saint Louis in 2018.

Carr begins his second season with Birmingham and his first as assistant coach, following his promotion from player development coach and video coordinator last season. Prior to joining the Squadron, Carr served as a basketball coaching associate with the Los Angeles Lakers, after working as a men's basketball graduate assistant at George Washington University. Before his coaching career, Carr played professionally for two seasons with the Reading Rockets in England, following his collegiate career at Shepherd University. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration and management from Sheperd in 2018 and later earned a graduate certificate in sports management from George Washington University in 2023.

Adrian Booker joins Birmingham as assistant general manager of basketball operations for his second season with the New Orleans Pelicans organization. He previously served as basketball operations assistant with the Pelicans last season. Prior to his stint in New Orleans, Booker spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Sierra Canyon. He has also worked in basketball operations for the Reno Bighorns (now Stockton Kings) of the NBA Development League and USA Basketball. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in integrated strategic communication.

Dan Fitzpatrick joins the Squadron as player development coach after spending last season as the video/player development coordinator with the Motor City Cruise. Prior to his time with Motor City, Fitzpatrick served as a graduate assistant for the men's basketball teams at Saint John's University (2023-24) and Iona University (2022-23). He is a graduate of Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in sport management, where he also was the men's basketball head student manager under head coach Jim Boeheim.

Steven Alves returns to the Squadron for his sixth season with the New Orleans Pelicans franchise and third with Birmingham, continuing as video coordinator/player personnel. Alves earned his bachelor's degree in business administration and management from the University of California, Riverside in 2017 and later earned his sports M.B.A from California State University, Long Beach in 2019.

Parker Hayes returns to Birmingham for his second season as basketball operations assistant with the Squadron. Prior to joining the team before the 2024-25 season, Hayes served at the basketball manager at the University of Alabama, where he earned his bachelor's degrees in sports management and business administration and management in 2024.

Joe Hubbard enters his third season with Birmingham and his second as head athletic trainer. Hubbard was promoted to his role prior to the 2024-25 season after serving as assistant athletic trainer during the 2023-24 campaign.

Maya Turner joins the Squadron for her first season as physical therapist. Turner earned her bachelor's degree in athletic training in 2020 from the University of Alabama and is receiving her doctoral degree in physical therapy from Alabama State University.

Gianni Millan returns for his second season with Birmingham as assistant athletic trainer. Prior to joining the Squadron, Millan served in the same role with the Mexico City Capitanes of the NBA G League. He previously spent time with the University of New Orleans as athletic trainer with the men's basketball team. Millan earned his bachelor's degree in biology/biological sciences in 2019 from the University of New Orleans and later received his master's in athletic training from Texas Tech University in 2022.

The 2025-26 campaign will be the Squadron's fifth season with Opening Night taking place on November 7 at 7:00 p.m. against the Austin Spurs.

For more information about the Birmingham Squadron, follow the team on social media or visit BirminghamSquadron.com.

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NBA G League Stories from September 18, 2025


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