New to The Basketball Tournament, La Familia is ready to represent their blue-blood beginnings and make some noise as the new kids.
I find it surprising that there hasn’t been a Kentucky alumni team in TBT yet, but then I remind myself that NBA players are ineligible to play. Kentucky has had some of the biggest names to date come out of their program, while also holding the largest number of NBA draft picks out of any school. Now, La Familia come into TBT hosting at the great Rupp Arena where greatness has always prevailed.
For more TBT team profiles, click here.
Roster:
- Aaron Harrison (Kentucky)
- Brennan Canada (Kentucky)
- Daniel Orton (Kentucky)
- Eric Bledsoe (Kentucky)
- James Young (Kentucky)
- Kellan Grady (Davidson & Kentucky)
- Kerem Kanter (Xavier)
- Nate Sestina (Bucknell & Kentucky)
- Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky)
Coaching Staff:
- Jazz Ferguson (Assistant Coach)
- Jon Hood (Assistant Coach)
- Sam Malone (GM)
- Sean Woods (Assistant Coach)
- Shanndale Walton (Assistant Coach)
- Twany Beckham (GM)
- Tyler Ulis (Head Coach)
Region: Lexington
All-time Record: 0-0
First Matchup: vs. 305 Ballers (July 19 at 8 p.m. on FS2)
Team MVP: Eric Bledsoe
Bledsoe was known in college as a versatile guard whose ball-handling abilities were just as good as his shooting abilities. Bledsoe then turned that into an illustrious NBA career, playing 14 seasons. He can score, averaging over 20 points per game twice in his career, and 13.7 PPG overall. Defensively, he might be even better, making the All-Defense first-team in 2018-2019 and second-team in 2019-2020. He also might be the richest player in TBT history, earning 132 million in contract money during his NBA career.
It will be pretty surprising if anyone can outplay Bledsoe, and if they can hold him under 15 points, that’s a successful night. Being in the NBA locker room for that long, Bledsoe has become a leader both on and off the court, something that will translate to TBT.
Make-or-break Player: Kerem Kanter
Kanter is the only La Familia player who has played in the TBT before, meaning he could serve as a real leader for the rest of the guys on the court. He was previously with Zip ‘Em Up (Xavier Alumni) and averaged 17.5 PPG. In Zip ‘Em Up’s second-round loss, he went for 19 points and 9 rebounds and was one of the lone bright spots for his team. La Familia have no shortage of big men, but that experience he possesses might be enough to earn him some extra minutes with this team.
Kanter is the only player who didn’t come from Kentucky, meaning his chemistry with the former Wildcats might be an issue come game time. However, if they didn’t want him, they wouldn’t have recruited him, as they understand his value and importance for his team.
Team Outlook
This is a new team, which would make some wonder if they’re capable of going far in this tournament. Luckily for La Familia, they have two key factors on their side that could help them. One is the home-court advantage at Rupp Arena. Wildcat fans are some of the most passionate in college sports, so a big turnout is to be expected.
They’ll face 305 Ballers in the first round, a team looking for their first win in the TBT. La Familia got the two seeds this year, behind Herd That, a Marshall Alumni team that always brings their A-Game to TBT. However, the game that Kentucky fans have circled is a potential semifinal matchup against the ‘Ville, the Louisville alumni team. Everyone loves a rivalry game, and getting that in TBT would be incredible.
As a college basketball fan, looking down this lineup would make anyone extremely excited. First, you see the Harrison twins, who are responsible for some of the fondest Kentucky memories. Then Bledsoe and Willie Cauley-Stein, two NBA vets who had fantastic seasons with Kentucky. Then, the smaller guys who still had big impacts like Kellan Gradey and James Young. While there are no betting odds for TBT, they would be one of the betting favorites, and don’t be surprised if they’re cutting down the nets in a few short weeks.
[…] roster and are hoping that the lack of game tape makes it hard for their first-round opponent, La Familia, to execute a game plan. There’s nothing better than getting the first TBT win, and 305 […]
[…] lot harder, as they’d most likely have to face Herd That, the Marshall alumni team, and then La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team. This region is stacked, and unfortunately for them, they’ll need […]
[…] but nothing compared to the Ville. The potential matchup to circle would be the semifinal against La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team. That rivalry game would be one for the […]