Kerem Kanter makes TBT All-Tournament Team, Willie Cauley-Stein named DPOY

La Familia’s debut run in The Basketball Tournament came to an end in the semifinals, but the Kentucky alums made a significant impact along the way.

Following Sunday’s TBT championship game, which saw Carmen’s Crew (which beat La Familia in the semis on Friday) take down Forever Coogs in Philadelphia by a final score of 69-65, a handful of awards were handed out on social media. Three members from La Familia were recognized with postseason honors.

Kerem Kanter (the younger brother of Enes Kanter and the lone non-Wildcat on La Familia’s roster) cracked TBT’s All-Tournament Team as one of five players on the squad. The Xavier alum was La Familia’s top scorer and rebounder in the event, averaging 18.4 points and nine rebounds across five games played while shooting 62.5 percent from the floor.

Kanter was joined on the All-Tournament Team by La Familia’s Twany Beckham, who was named the top General Manager of TBT. Beckham was the main organizer of the first-ever Kentucky alumni team for this summer tournament. Without him, we likely never see the biggest game in TBT history between La Familia and The Ville (Louisville alums) in Freedom Hall during the quarterfinals earlier in the week, which destroyed the previous TBT attendance record by roughly 6,000 fans.

Your TBT 2024 All-Tournament Team:

THESE DUDES WERE HOOPING! pic.twitter.com/egHuyTPI7k

— TBT (@thetournament) August 4, 2024

Finally, Willie Cauley-Stein was named Defensive Player of the Year. The seven-footer was solid on offense for La Familia, averaging 10.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per outing on 70.4 percent shooting (and even hitting some three-pointers), but it was the other end of the floor where he made his impact.

Cauley-Stein’s 14 blocks led all of TBT and were five more than the second-highest shot blocker. He also recorded five steals and grabbed 21 defensive rebounds along the way. His length around the rim was critical to La Familia’s inside presence.

Your TBT 2024 DPOY:

Willie Cauley-Stein pic.twitter.com/m4jtiTslET

— TBT (@thetournament) August 4, 2024

Outside of coming up short in the semifinals, La Familia’s debut in TBT was an all-around success. With so many former Wildcats of the last 15 years returning to Lexington and playing in front of the Big Blue Nation at Rupp Arena, it was a perfect summer basketball distraction.

The plan is to come back better than ever in 2025 with Beckham leading the charge once again.

TBT 2024 All-Tournament Team/Awards

All-Tournament Team:

• Rob Gray (Forever Coogs)
• Kerem Kanter (La Familia)
• Sam Sessoms (Happy Valley Hoopers)
• Tyler Stone (Eberlein Drive)
• Jared Sullinger (Carmen’s Crew)

Most Valuable Player: Jared Sullinger (Carmen’s Crew)

Defensive Player of the Year: Willie Cauley-Stein (La Familia)

All-Tournament Coach: Jordan Surenkamp (Eberlein Drive)

All-Tournament GM: Twany Beckham (La Familia)