La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team hosting The Basketball Tournament’s (TBT) regional at Rupp Arena July 19-23, has announced that former Kentucky point guard Tyler Ulis will serve as the team’s first head coach.
Ulis will oversee a team whose roster currently includes Nate Sestina, James Young, Andrew Harrison, Daniel Orton, Kellan Grady, Marquis Teague, Willie Cauley-Stein, Eric Bledsoe, Doron Lamb, and Reid Travis among the players committed to La Familia’s inaugural roster.
“We’ve assembled a great group of Kentucky basketball legends, and I’m really looking forward to being able to work with everyone,” said Ulis. “Playing these games at home in front of our fans is an incredible honor for our group, and we’ll make sure the guys are focused this summer to go win that $1 million grand prize!”
Ulis starred at Kentucky from 2014-16, and earned SEC Player of the Year, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and SEC Tournament MVP during his final season with the Wildcats in 2016. He also took home the 2016 Bob Cousy Award for top collegiate point guard in the country.
Ulis was selected with the 34th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and spent the following two seasons in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls. He joined the Kentucky men’s basketball staff as a student assistant in 2022 and held that role during the 2023-24 season.
La Familia will be joined in the Lexington Regional this summer alongside seven other teams, all vying for TBT’s $1 million grand prize. TBT’s regional bracket and matchups will be unveiled on June 26.
Tickets for the 2024 Lexington Regional are now on sale at thetournament.com/tbt/tickets.
