On a collision course? Former Cats and Cards could meet again in TBT with The Ville and La Familia

By RUSS BROWN Photos By UofL Athletics 

Get ready for another spirited battle between the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky on the basketball court. And no, I’m not talking about the two bitter rivals’ scheduled clash on Nov. 11 in the KFC Yum Center. And Pat Kelsey and Mark Pope won’t be on the sidelines. 

If you’ve ever spent more than a few days in Kentucky and paid attention, you know that college hoops isn’t just a passion during the dreary winter months; it’s a year-round obsession. So get ready for another edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), the 64-team, $1 million winner-take-all event that is in its 12th year. For the second year in a row, both Lexington and Louisville will be regional sites, with games being played in Memorial Coliseum July 18-22 and in Freedom Hall July 19-23. Other regionals will be held in Harrisonburg, Va., Kansas City, Syracuse, Charleston, W. Va. and Wichita. Survivors will advance to the quarterfinals at a site to be determined. 

The teams are primarily composed of alumni from each of the competing schools. In this case, La Familia represents UK, with The Ville looking like a vintage U of L club, and they could be headed for a quarterfinals showdown for the second year in a row. 

Both teams have head coaches who need no introduction to local fans. La Familia will be led by former Wildcat guard Sean Woods, 55, a member of UK’s “Unforgettables” 1991-92 national runnerup team, who was recently named head coach at Scott County High School in Georgetown. Luke Hancock, 35, the Most Outstanding Player in the 2013 Final Four won by Louisville, will coach The Ville. He is also the general manager of The Ville. 

Hancock, who is now a financial advisor as well as a college basketball analyst for the ACC Network, played on the team in 2023 and assisted Reece Gaines last season when it lost to UK in a hotly contested quarterfinals game. This year he’ll be coaching a team that looks like a Who’s Who of Louisville basketball, including Chane Behanan, Earl Clark, Montrezl Harrell, Chris Jones, David Johnson, Peyton Siva, Ray Spalding and Russ Smith. Also on the roster are Louisville native David Sloan, formerly of Kansas State and East Tennessee State, and ex-John A. Logan player Jay Scrubb, a former Trinity High star and one-time Cardinal recruit. Siva will do double duty, serving as an assistant coach in addition to playing. 

Clark and Spalding are newcomers to The Ville. Clark, a 6-foot-10 forward, was originally slated to join the club in its 2023 debut but withdrew due to an overseas contractual commitment. He played at U of L for three seasons (2007-09) and was an NBA lottery pick. This past season he averaged 18.0 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers in Taiwan’s P. League+. 

Spalding, a Trinity High product, also was with the Cards for three seasons (2016-17-18), then played for several NBA teams. Most recently, he has played professionally for Sos de Manati in Puerto Rico. 

TBT typically rolls out roster announcements to increase fanfare, so there’s a chance that one or more players from U of L coach Pat Kelsey’s first team could be added. 

“We’re excited to be back with the TBT,” Hancock said. “Hoops fans around Louisville have been amazing and support gives us a huge advantage. The Ville is going to take things to another level this year and we can’t wait to show the city what we’re working on. I’m excited for the opportunity.” 

Among UK alums playing for La Familia are Ansley Almonor, twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison, Archie Goodwin, Doron Lamb, Deandre Liggins, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kahli Whitney. 

“We can’t wait to welcome back some Wildcat legends for TBT, because last summer was electric,” said UK coach Mark Pope. “I know Big Blue Nation and our team will be ready to help create an epic environment in Memorial and help the guys chase a championship.” 

“Big Blue Nation will have (Memorial) rocking,” said TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar. 

Last year La Familia and The Ville squared off in an intense quarterfinal that drew a TBT record crowd of 13,506 to Freedom Hall for a game won by the former Wildcats 70-61. It ended with a brawl as players from both teams exchanged words, saliva and shoves after several of the La Familia players made the Ls down gesture. Security had to separate the teams. 

The saliva came from The Ville’s Chinanu Onuaku, who later apologized after admitting to spitting in the face of La Familia forward Nate Sestina. 

“Emotions ran high,” Sestina said afterwards. “That’s what this game does to people. There had been great chatter the whole game. Nothing crazy. Then it got personal. Ls down vs. Ls up. That’s what this game is.” 

“It’s hands down the craziest state or basketball, no state comes close,” said Russ Smith, who like Hancock, Siva, Behanan and Harrell, was also on the Cards’ 2013 national championship team. 

Hopefully, emotions will be held under control more this time around. 

Winners of the regionals will advance to TBT’s quarterfinals on July 28. The semifinals will be held on July 31, and TBT’s $1 million championship will be played on Aug. 3. 

“I feel honored and privileged to be a part of La Familia for the second year,” said Woods, who was an assistant last summer for Tyler Ulis. “We’re looking forward to an even bigger and better experience. I’m very confident that we have a great chance of winning TBT and will continue to uphold Wildcat pride over the summer.” 

For the first time, TBT will give each host team the opportunity to have home court advantage for the quarterfinals, semifinals and title game. Should two regional hosts advance, the tiebreaker will be determined by which host sells 4,000 tickets the fastest. 

TBT games feature the unique “Elam Ending,” in which a target score is set at or under 4:00 minutes of the fourth quarter, eliminating the need for intentional fouls and ensuring that every game ends on a made field goal. The target score is equal to the leading team’s score, plus eight points. For example, Team A leads Team B 70-63 at the stoppage, so the target score is set at 78. There is no game clock but the shot clock remains on. 

Andrew Harrison hit a game-winning 3-pointer in last year’s game, but Sestina led La Familia with 22 points while Cauley-Stein scored 20 on 8-of-9 shooting. Smith topped The Ville with 22 points.