The Basketball Tournament 2025: La Familia TBT Team Profile

La Familia looks to build off a strong debut last year and bring Big Blue Nation another championship.

La Familia joined the TBT last year, and looking at the roster, you knew right away this team would be a championship threat. They certainly were, reaching the semifinal before losing to the eventual champion. The beat The Ville, the Louisville alumni team on the way there, in what was arguably the best atmosphere in TBT history.

This year, they’re back, and they’re not settling for a semifinal finish. They bring back most of last year’s squad and add some big-time new pieces as well. If all goes right, we’ll get a rematch of the “Cats vs Cards”. La Familia hopes to raise another banner for Kentucky and has the talent to do so.

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Roster:

• Aaron Harrison (Kentucky)
• Andrew Harrison (Kentucky)
• Ansley Almonor (Kentucky)
• Archie Goodwin (Kentucky)
• DeAndre Liggins (Kentucky)
• DJ Burns (Southern, Murray State, Youngstown State)
• Doron Lamb (Kentucky)
• Khalil Whitney (Kentucky)
• Kerem Kanter (Xavier)
• Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky)

Coaching Staff:

• Bryson Harris (Asst. Coach)
• Ethan Coury (Asst. Coach)
• Sean Woods (Head Coach)
• Twany Beckham (GM)
• Wayne Turner (Asst. Coach)

Region: Lexington

All-time Record: 4-1

First Matchup: vs. Stroh’s Squad (July 18 at 9 p.m. EST)

Team MVP: Kerem Kanter

On a team that features NCAA Champions and NBA veterans, the star is none other than Xavier Musketeer Kerem Kanter. Kanter led the team in both points and rebounds, averaging 18.4 and 9, and did so on 62.5 FG%. Kanter scored 20 points in the first three games and got to the line 42 times in five games.

Kanter is an extremely patient scorer, waiting for the right situations and getting good positions constantly. While he’s not a floor spacer, he can shoot the three if need be, shooting 3-8 from deep in those games. La Familia has no shortage of guys who can score, but they’ll look to Kanter to score down low and keep them in the driver’s seat all game long.

Make-or-break Player: Eric Bledsoe

Bledsoe is the most prolific player in TBT, playing 12 seasons in the NBA and making the All-Defensive Team twice. Now he’ll look to add a TBT title to that resume. He was solid last year, averaging 14.8 PPG to go with 4.8 RPG and 4.0 APG. He started looking great during regional play, scoring 13+ in all three games, including 24 points in the regional final.

He took a step back after that, scoring nine points on 3-11 shooting against The Ville, and 11 points on 4-10 shooting in the loss to Carmen’s Crew. They’ll need him to be at his best if they want to go the distance. Even though he’s surrounded by a boatload of talent, the team revolves around him, and they’ll go as far as he does. There’s little doubt he can do so, but we’ll see if any teams can trip him up.

Team Outlook

La Familia kicks off their 2025 campaign against Stroh’s Squad. In the nicest way possible, if they keep this game within 20, that should be considered a victory. They potentially face a fellow SEC alumni squad War Ready (Auburn Alumni), in Round 2. The region has some good teams, but La Familia shouldn’t have any issues.

The one to circle, as mentioned earlier, is a potential rematch against The Ville. The game would be played in Louisville, but expect BBN to make the short drive to support their squad.

This team is absolutely loaded. You start with the Harrison twins, two of the most prolific Kentucky players in recent history. Then, you have former NBA players in Willie Cauley-Stein and Archie Goodwin. Cauley-Stein and Kanter worked well together last year, and expect the same. They also feature several great Kentucky players, including Doron Lamb, Khalil Whitney, DeAndre Liggins, and recent alumni Ansley Almonor.

This team really doesn’t have many flaws. The only way they can lose is if the shot just isn’t falling, which doesn’t seem likely. If you had to bet on a team to win, La Familia is a very safe pick.