Aaron Harrison joins La Familia, Kentucky's TBT team

You didn’t think just one Harrison twin was going to represent the Cats in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), did you? News just broke that Aaron Harrison will join his brother Andrew on La Familia, Kentucky’s alumni team in TBT, which tips off later this month.

Aaron Harrison worked his way into Kentucky Basketball lore by hitting three game-winners during the Cats’ 2014 Final Four run, knocking out Louisville, Michigan, and Wisconsin to send Kentucky to the finals vs. UConn. He and Andrew returned to Kentucky for their sophomore year and helped lead the Cats to an SEC regular season and tournament championship, another Final Four, and a 38-1 record.

After turning pro following the 2014-15 season, Harrison signed with the Charlotte Hornets, spending parts of three seasons with the Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks before embarking on a career in the G League and overseas. Most recently, Harrison played for FC Porto in Portugal for the 2024 season, where he helped his team win the Portuguese Basketball Cup.

Harrison is the eleventh member of La Familia, which hosts a TBT regional at Rupp Arena July 19-23. Tyler Ulis, who was teammates with the Harrisons and Willie Cauley-Stein at Kentucky and also served as a student assistant on John Calipari’s staff from 2022-24, will serve as head coach. Twany Beckham, who played for UK from 2011-13, is the team’s general manager. Here’s the roster so far:

• Eric Bledsoe (2009-10)
• Daniel Orton (2009-10)
• Doron Lamb (2010-12)
• Marquis Teague (2011-12)
• Willie Cauley-Stein (2012-15)
• James Young (2013-14)
• Andrew Harrison (2013-15)
• Aaron Harrison (2013-15)
• Reid Travis (2018-19)
• Nate Sestina (2019-20)
• Kellan Grady (2021-22) 
• HEAD COACH: Tyler Ulis (2014-16)

I think this calls for a flashback to March of 2014, don’t you?

TBT Bracket, Schedule Revealed

Last week, the TBT bracket was revealed. La Familia will be one of 64 teams vying for the winner-takes-all $1 million grand prize. The former Cats are the No. 2 seed in the Lexington Regional and will open play vs. the No. 7 seed 305 Ballers on Friday, July 19, at 8 p.m. ET on FS2. If La Familia advances to the second round, they will face the winner of WoCo Showtime (Wofford Alumni) and The Nawf on Sunday, July 21 at 2 p.m. ET on FOX. The Lexington Regional championship game is Tuesday, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.

TBT Lexington Regional

• No. 1 seed: Herd That (Marshall alumni)
• No. 2 seed: La Familia (Kentucky alumni)
• No. 3 seed: WoCo Showtime (Wofford alumni)
• No. 4 seed: War Ready (Auburn alumni)
• No. 5 seed: D2 Waymakers
• No. 6 seed: The Nawf
• No. 7 seed: 305 Ballers
• No. 8 seed: Jackson TN Boom

The winner of the Lexington Regional will go on to face the winner of the Louisville Region — which includes UofL’s alumni team, The Ville — in the TBT quarterfinals on July 29 or 30 (official game date, time, and location to be determined). The semifinals and championship games will be Aug. 2 and Aug. 4 in Philadelphia at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Tickets for the Lexington Regional are now on sale at thetournament.com/tbt/tickets. Should you need any extra incentive to go, Louisville has sold more tickets to its regional thus far than Lexington…

LOUISVILLE & LEXINGTON QUARTERFINAL UPDATE: Both on pace to be in TBT's Top 20 –

Louisville Round 1 tickets: 3,090

Lexington Round 1 tickets: 1,642

If what we've heard about BBN is true… THE RACE TO HOST A QUARTERFINAL IS FAR FROM OVER!

🎟️TICKETS: https://t.co/MPyvfRvJKd https://t.co/MhCRUZMvFM pic.twitter.com/8mXEJm2855

— TBT (@thetournament) July 1, 2024