LEXINGTON — DeAndre Liggins’ shot, from well behind the 3-point line, banked in. The crowd at Memorial Coliseum erupted in cheers.
There was just one problem: It didn’t count.
Liggins had picked up the ball after a foul whistled play dead in the first quarter.
But Liggins’ long-heave make represented Friday night as a whole: He and his La Familia teammates were having a ball — and those in attendance loved every second of it, live action or not.
As expected, La Familia stomped an overmatched Stroh’s Squad, 105-52, in the round of 64 clash in The Basketball Tournament.
Back for its second go-round in the event, La Familia, the Kentucky basketball alumni team, is the Lexington Regional’s top seed. Matched up with eighth-seeded Stroh’s Squad, the legion of former Wildcats made life miserable for the loose collection of Bowling Green alumni — or at least what the roster was purported to be on TBT’s website. It’s a group that had multiple members who had played at the community college and NAIA levels. And Division III.
Compare that with a La Familia club filled with former NBA players (Willie Cauley-Stein, Archie Goodwin,Aaron Harrison,Andrew Harrison,Doron Lamb and Liggins) and others who have played professionally in other leagues around the world.
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On paper, it was a mismatch of epic proportions.
On the court, it was a mismatch of epic proportions.
In his debut as La Familia’s head coach, Sean Woods, the UK Athletics Hall of Famer — and part of “The Unforgettables” — notched a victory in convincing fashion.
Goodwin’s 19 points (on 8-of-11 shooting) led all scorers. Three of his teammates also posted double-figure totals in the points department: Aaron Harrison (14), Kahlil Whitney (14) and Kerem Kanter (12).
Riley Grigsby paced Stroh’s Squad with 11 points.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: La Familia score: Kentucky alumni basketball team advances in TBT 2025