Former Kentucky basketball players call on fans to ‘pack Rupp out’ for TBT this summer

A couple of months ago, so many Kentucky basketball fans showed up outside Rupp Arena to greet new head coach Mark Pope that some of them had to be turned away.

There wasn’t enough room in the 20,000-plus capacity building to hold them all.

Organizers of The Basketball Tournament — also known as “TBT” — probably aren’t expecting quite that showing when the event tips off next month, but those backing the UK-themed La Familia team are hoping fans come out once again to support the program.

Former Kentucky player Twany Beckham — the general manager of La Familia — led a press event at the Joe Craft Center on Wednesday hyping the upcoming TBT regional in Lexington and calling on fans to “pack Rupp out” when the tournament comes to town.

La Familia will start the single-elimination, 64-team tournament at 8 p.m. on July 19 against 305 Ballers, a Miami-based squad filled with players who play professional basketball overseas. The winner of the tournament will earn a $1 million prize.

The UK roster, as of now, features Eric Bledsoe, Willie Cauley-Stein, Kellan Grady, Andrew Harrison, Doron Lamb, Daniel Orton, Nate Sestina, Marquis Teague, Reid Travis and James Young — all players who competed for the Cats during John Calipari’s 15 years as coach of the program.

Beckham thanked both Calipari and Pope for their full support of the La Familia squad over the past few months, an effort that began while Calipari was still the coach of the Cats and quickly received the enthusiastic backing of Pope after he was hired in April.

The new UK coach has already hyped the event on multiple occasions in recent weeks, and his current Wildcats — all 12 scholarship players are new to the program — will have the opportunity to scrimmage against the La Familia roster next month.

Beckham, a Louisville native who was with the Cats from 2010 to 2013, has put together a team stacked with former draft picks from the Calipari era. He said the opportunity to play these games in Rupp Arena resonated with the players who signed on.

“I just sit back and envision these guys coming back to Lexington, and just loving the unwavering support of people from this fan base and people in the community,” he said. “Every former player we recruited all relished at the idea of playing basketball in Rupp Arena again and coming back to Lexington to reconnect with so many people that they haven’t seen in so many years.

“I truly believe we put together one of the best rosters in this field. We got size. We got length. We got experience. And we got players who have won at the highest level while playing here at Kentucky. But I think one of the best things about our roster is we got players from so many different eras. And I think it’s going to be a great thing to see all this come together.”

Beckham added that Lamb — the leading scorer in UK’s 2012 national title game victory — recently received a contract to play overseas, and team officials would monitor his situation in the coming weeks. He said another roster addition — “from somebody who made some incredible shots during his run here at UK” — would be officially announced next week.

The team will be coached by former Kentucky point guard Tyler Ulis, with ex-Cats Sean Woods, Darius Miller and Jon Hood working as assistant coaches.

Tickets for the TBT games in Rupp are already on sale through Ticketmaster.com, with seats for the first session featuring La Familia starting at $30.

If La Familia defeats 305 Ballers on July 19, the UK team will play in the Lexington rRegional semifinals on the afternoon of July 21. A win there would advance the former Cats to the regional finals on the night of July 23 in Rupp Arena. The team’s opening game will be televised live on FS2, with the semifinals on Fox and the finals on FS1.

Beckham said La Familia would also play a charity game at Tates Creek High School, scheduled for 6 p.m. on July 13.

There are eight regional sites for the TBT, including one in Louisville, where a U of L-themed team named The Ville — and featuring Russ Smith, Peyton Siva, Montrezl Harrell and other ex-Cards — will host games in Freedom Hall on July 20, 22 and 24.

The championship game of the tournament will be played in Philadelphia on Aug. 4, with the connections of the winning team splitting the $1 million grand prize.

Ex-Cats eager for Rupp return

Beckham was joined Wednesday by Miller — a former UK teammate — and Orton and Sestina, all of whom are looking forward to getting back inside Rupp Arena next month.

Miller, a former Kentucky Mr. Basketball from Mason County, grew up playing AAU ball alongside Beckham in the state before they played on the same teams at UK.

“I saw the seriousness behind what Twany was putting together — and Tyler and the guys; how serious they were taking it,” Miller said. “These are guys that’s won at a high level, that’s played at a high level. And I feel like they’re bringing that same approach to the TBT.

“And, also, I’m a fan of the TBT. I think it’s a great tournament. Love what they’re building. And I’m just excited. I’m ready to get to it. Looking forward to being on the other side of things — on the coaching side. That’s something that’s sparked my interest. So it will be good to dive into it a little bit and see how it feels.”

The TBT is entering its 11th year and has gained in popularity as a summer basketball alternative featuring teams with well-known players who are still competing at a professional level.

Beckham exuded that seriousness that Miller spoke of Wednesday, making it clear he only wanted ex-Cats for this team that were interested in playing at a high level.

“One of my points of emphasis when recruiting guys, ‘I’m like, are you in shape? Are you working out? Because this is not a celebrity game. This is not a comeback to Lexington. And if you don’t take this seriously, we’ll get smacked and punched right in the face.’ Everybody’s coming here wanting to beat us. We’re Kentucky,” he said. “So as soon as the ball tips, people are going to want to beat us. So we gotta make sure we’re prepared. …

“You all are going to love the product that we put on the floor.”

Orton said he jumped at the opportunity as soon as Beckham reached out.

“I didn’t hesitate. I thought this would be a phenomenal experience,” he said. “Playing back in Rupp, playing with a lot of Kentucky greats, a lot of Kentucky legends, a lot of national champions.”

He noted that he had just been sitting next to assistant GM Sam Malone — a former UK walk-on who was on the 2012 national title team — and asked to see his NCAA championship ring.

“That’s exactly what I wanted when I came here,” Orton said. “When I imagined coming here, and the full experiences I had as a recruit, even — starting from day one — feeling the energy from the fans and the expectations. One person told me, ‘Kentucky fans expect you to win every game. And the SEC championship. And the national championship. So if that scares you, this isn’t the place for you.’ I said, ‘No, that’s absolutely everything I’m about.’ Championships. Winning. And a high level of expectation — that’s why I came here. I think that everybody knows what’s expected of this team, and I feel like it’s a great opportunity for all of us to come together and do something special.”

Orton, who had a lengthy pro career and has spent the past few years mentoring young players in the Lexington area, was on Calipari’s first UK team, which won the SEC regular-season and tournament titles but fell short of its ultimate goal, losing in the 2010 Elite Eight.

He and several other ex-Cats who came up just short in March will surely bring a sense of unfinished business into this event, which mirrors the NCAA Tournament in format.

Sestina never got an opportunity to represent the Cats in March Madness, with the 2020 version wiped out due to COVID-19, preventing a promising UK team from playing for a national title.

“I don’t even want to talk about it, because I’ll get fired up,” Sestina said. “Everybody knows how I feel about that. I think we were poised to make a run at the national championship.”

Sestina recently wrapped up his season with the Turkish league champions and signed a two-year deal to play in Spain next, but he gave up part of his brief offseason to compete with La Familia and make a return to Rupp Arena.

“I left Rupp on a sour note. I’ve said it before — losing to Tennessee on Senior Night, it’s terrible,” he said. “So, first game, we gotta win by like 50 or something. I gotta redeem myself.”

Beckham said his goal is for Rupp Arena to break the TBT single-game attendance record, which was set last year when 7,202 fans showed up at Wichita State to see a Shockers-themed team filled with local ties.

Pope has already gone out of his way to pledge his support.

“It’s gonna be a huge deal,” he said, unprompted, Tuesday afternoon. “We’re gonna take every opportunity to support these greats. … To have those former players back is really special, and we’re incredibly excited about taking full advantage of that.”

Pope posted a photo on his X account Wednesday posing alongside Beckham, Malone, Miller, Orton and Sestina with the Lexington TBT regional bracket. He also used the “#PackRupp” hashtag that Beckham mentioned multiple times earlier in the day.

Sestina reminisced Wednesday about his recruiting visit to Lexington as a graduate transfer five years ago and said he’s still in awe of Rupp Arena and the UK fan base.

“I’ve had the opportunity, especially this past year, to play in front of some of the craziest fans in the world. In Serbia and Turkey and the Final Four for EuroLeague. And I think Rupp Arena still trumps it. It’s just an unbelievable experience, especially when it’s filled up to the brim and everybody’s screaming and yelling.

“So for me, it’s an awesome opportunity, and I think that — what is it, ‘Pack Rupp out’? — we can pack Rupp out. I think we can do a really good job. And 7,500 people is nothing, I think, for Rupp Arena.”

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