The final roster is set with first-round play beginning on July 18th.
Last year, the Big Blue Nation became enthralled with the summer distraction that is The Basketball Tournament.
Following a team made up of mostly former Kentucky Wildcats standouts was a special treat for everyone involved. La Familia’s impressive run to the Final Four in 2024 has created tremendous excitement for this year’s tournament.
With Tyler Ulis now in Fayetteville, it opened the door for Sean Woods to take over the reins after serving as an assistant on last year’s team. Woods played at Kentucky from 1988-1992 before several coaching stops, including Morehead State from 2012-2016.
Twany Beckham will once again serve as La Familia’s General Manager.
The roster was a little slow to develop but has now been set with the following players expected to participate.
• Ansley Almonor
• DJ Burns
• Willie Cauley-Stein
• Archie Goodwin
• Aaron Harrison
• Andrew Harrison
• Kerem Kanter
• Doron Lamb
• DeAndre Liggins
• Kahlil Whitney
That is an insanely diverse group of guys made up of all former Wildcats with the exception of DJ Burns, who played for Woods at Southern, and Kerem Kanter, who was arguably La Familia’s best player on last summer’s Final Four squad.
It comes as no surprise that the TBT ensured that Lexington would once again serve as a host site after the excellent crowds in 2024.
On Tuesday, TBT announced that La Familia had secured the second spot in The Basketball Tournament’s Home Court Advantage after reaching 4,000 tickets sold. That means La Familia will play every game in the event at home at Memorial Coliseum unless they face The Ville, who secured the top spot in TBT’s Home Court Advantage.
La Familia will open first round play on Friday, July 18th at 9:00 PM against Stroh’s Squad.
Here is the entire schedule for the Lexington region and also a link to purchase tickets. The home crowd will provide a distinct advantage, so if you’re not busy, get out and support some former Wildcats.
Friday, July 18
• Game 1: (3) Dunkin Dogs vs. (6) Tampa Florida Pickup Basketball, 2 p.m.
• Game 2: (2) Eberlein Drive vs. (7) Richards Elite, 4 p.m.
• Game 3: (4) War Ready vs. (5) X-Rayted, 7 p.m. on FS1 (Fubo; free trial)
• Game 4: (1) La Familia vs. (8) Stroh’s Squad, 9 p.m. on FS1 (Fubo; free trial)