Former Wildcats Grateful for Support from BBN at TBT

It was a game between overseas hoopers on a late Friday night in July. Didn’t matter. Kentucky basketball fans were there to show out.

In the opening round of the TBT, Kentucky fans filled the entire lower bowl of Historic Memorial Coliseum, with plenty overflowing into the upper-deck, to catch a glimpse of their former Wildcats in action. They were treated to a dominant performance, a 105-52 victory over Stroh’s Squad. It was the least La Familia could do to reward the fans.

“It was fun. We are all grateful to be here. We all had our ups and downs here, but I had a great time, enjoyed the fans,” Archie Goodwin said after scoring a team-high 19 points.

“They embraced me well today, and I just want to continue to do this as long as we can. Hopefully, we’re going to make it to the end and continue to get that support we had, because it was amazing tonight.”

Kentucky fans in the stands made sure their voices were heard, especially for a few players whose careers did not go according to plan. In 18 games at Kentucky, Kahlil Whitney’s career-high was 11 points against EKU. On Friday night, he scored 14, including a thunderous dunk that brought BBN to its feet, creating a raucous environment at Historic Memorial Coliseum.

“I was telling one of the opposing players at the free throw line, I said, ‘It’s a cheat code to be playing here,'” said Whitney.

Friday night was only the beginning. La Familia played with a defensive intensity that will make them a hard out in the TBT. Sean Woods had the former Cats pressing in the second half while up 25+ points. They’ll return to action in the TBT tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 PM ET against War Ready, an Auburn alumni team.

The former Kentucky Wildcats were thrilled to get a chance to hear the roar from BBN one more time. They want to continue delivering wins for the fans.

“It was exciting…” said Goodwin. “I think I speak for all of us when I say we really appreciate it. You can see it in the energy from our team, on the bench, from the guys on the court. We really appreciate it. We stayed after, talked to the fans, signed autographs, because we just wanted to show our appreciation for the support they give us, even some of us who haven’t been back in 10+ years.”

ROCKSTARS IN LEXINGTON! 📸🤩

Hundreds of @kentuckymbb fans swarmed @lafamiliatbt for pictures and autographs after their opening victory of TBT 2025. pic.twitter.com/dUyKBlUG3A

— TBT (@thetournament) July 19, 2025

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