La Familia hoping to run it back with TBT 'for years to come'

Are you enjoying The Basketball Tournament with La Familia? So are we. It’s impossible not to soak up the nostalgia with the likes of Aaron and Andrew Harrison, Willie Cauley-Stein and Eric Bledsoe back in town — all-time Kentucky talents.

That was the goal, the start of something bigger and better when GM Twany Beckham began making his rounds with former Wildcats during the roster-building process. He not only wanted to put together an immediate contender in the $1 million winner-take-all tournament, but also a long-term juggernaut capable of dominating the event for years to come.

Kentucky certainly has the talent to do it.

“With this being our first time, you didn’t really know what to expect,” Beckham said Sunday. “I’m a person who always has the vision to see two, three years down the road. I knew that if we set a great foundation the first year, it could be something TBT wanted to bring back for years to come.

“We kind of heard the rumblings of that so far as we’re going through this that Lexington and a Kentucky alumni team, that’s something they want to continue doing down the road. I would be excited about it and I know the guys want to win it this year. If we don’t, we have something to build off of in year one.”

Take James Young for example, a guy who was productive in his one-and-done season at Kentucky in 2013-14, but is a decade removed from his time in Lexington. He admitted to start the event he hasn’t come back often while focusing on his pro career.

Then he hit the game-winner to close out the Elam ending against Herd That in the TBT Sweet 16 — a dagger 3-pointer, just like the one he drilled against Wichita State in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Falling back into the bench, he was immediately swarmed by his teammates with Big Blue Nation going nuts in the stands behind him.

James Young hits the Elam Ender!! La Familia is headed to the Elite 8 of TBT.

Awesome game and awesome environment. pic.twitter.com/RzclGtGZw4

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) July 24, 2024

That’s what this was all about for La Familia, why guys like Young decided to give TBT a shot.

“It’s love. It feels so amazing, I haven’t felt this way in a minute,” he said. “Having my guys come and pick me up, bringing us together, I can’t explain this feeling, for real. It’s always a blessing to come back here and feel the love from everybody. This is a great atmosphere to be around. Everybody is having a good time together, I’m having a good time.”

Eric Bledsoe has set the tone for La Familia as the gritty vet through three games. Once the guy who got it all started for the Wildcats under John Calipari, he’s now the old guy alongside Kentucky’s top alumni.

“This is amazing,” he said. “I’m the oldest on the team, so playing with a couple Kentucky legends, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The goal is to win the $1 million now, obviously, and La Familia is the current favorite to do just that entering the Elite Eight. But this was always a long-term play, bringing back the squad next year and beyond with more elite talent.

May we suggest John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins next?