Willie Cauley-Stein is ready for La Familia's rematch with The Ville: 'We plan on beating them'

This year’s edition of The Basketball Tournament will be Willie Cauley-Stein‘s last ride at the event. It might even be the last time he ever picks up a basketball.

Cauley-Stein, who spent three seasons at Kentucky (2012-15) before enjoying a seven-year NBA career, has participated in the last three TBT’s as a member of the Wildcats’ alumni team, La Familia. He was named the tournament’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, an award that TBT made up on the spot just for him because of how impactful he was on that end of the floor that summer. La Familia famously beat The Ville, Louisville’s alumni team, inside Freedom Hall during an intense quarterfinal matchup that year that easily smashed TBT’s attendance record.

We saw Cauley-Stein return to La Familia last summer, albeit in a reduced role compared to the 2024 run. There was no Kentucky vs. Louisville showdown that time around, but TBT made sure the fans would be treated to it this summer. We’ll actually have the chance to see them play multiple times. La Familia and The Ville will battle it out in a three-game series to open the tournament. Cauley-Stein is ready for all the smoke, too.

“I’m coming in ready. I’m already running. I started running and working out again,” Cauley-Stein told TBT’s Jake Pavorsky in a recent interview. “When Twany (Beckham) told me, it had me excited. I’m actually going to get into shape for this.”

“Obviously it’s love of basketball and everything like that,” he added. “But we want to beat them (The Ville). We plan on beating them. Taking it into three (games), I don’t even want to get it to three. Obviously it’d be good for the tournament and the fans, but man, f**k that. I’m trying to get in there, get out, get on the next wave.”

Game one will take place in Lexington’s Memorial Coliseum on July 18. Game two shifts to Louisville’s Freedom Hall on July 20. If necessary, a decisive game three will return to Lexington on July 22. The primary goal is clearly to win the entire tournament and the $2 million prize that comes with it, but Cauley-Stein says this will be his last time actually playing in TBT. He hopes to go out with a bang in front of the Big Blue Nation at the very least.

“This is my last run. I don’t want to do it again,” he said. “I want to be involved in it, but as far as playing, this is gonna be my last run. I want it to be crazy. I want it to be a fun time and go the distance. Just relishing all the fans.”

La Familia’s roster still has pieces to add first, though. Cauley-Stein, Archie Goodwin (who was a star on last year’s team), and Reid Travis are the only announced players thus far. Cauley-Stein was asked about who he’d like to see join the roster, and he specifically mentioned former Kentucky guard TyTy Washington as someone he’d like to see added (along with some rebounding bigs so he doesn’t have to carry that load).

But as long as La Familia’s roster is lined with former Wildcats, their first-round series against The Ville won’t be lacking any juice. Cauley-Stein said that people still ask him about the 2024 game. He even had a buddy bring it up to him while golfing a couple of weeks ago. This year’s TBT is personal.

“I might never pick up a ball again after this,” he said. “I’m coming in hot.”

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