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Men's Basketball

EXCLUSIVE: La Familia General Manager Twany Beckham Discusses New Roster Additions, Season Schedule and More

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3 weeks ago

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Caleb Bowlin | UK Athletics

The prime of summer is right around the corner, and that means that La Familia will grace the Big Blue Nation’s eyes as they wait for the college football and the 2026-27 basketball seasons to begin. Backed by a roster of Kentucky alumni, general manager Twany Beckham will look to pack Historic Memorial Coliseum and go far in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) come July.

In an exclusive interview with KY Insider, Beckham opened up on a plethora of topics, starting first with his love for the fanbase and everyone who has showed out for La Familia.

“I’m very appreciative and thankful for the support that this community has given us, and to see where it’s grown in year three is awesome,” said Beckham. “There was no blueprint on how to grow it, on how to recruit guys and how to convince guys to come back and play…so to see where it’s gone and to see the level of excitement that we have had the past two summers has been awesome.”

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Beckham jumped into some potential names joining this year’s roster, one being a beloved paint-beast forward from my younger years that the GM wanted to remain nameless until officially announced. He mentioned that he reached out to multiple G-League players, but due to their obligations at the professional level, the schedules couldn’t align.

I asked the former Wildcat if he anticipated to scrimmage the 2026-27 men’s basketball team, like previous seasons, and the optimism for it to happen yet again is there.

“We haven’t had any conversations around that yet, which I’m sure we will,” said Beckham. “If we do, that’s something that I’d definitely be looking forward to doing again…that’s awesome too, you know, you get to see the team up close and personal and then allow the current team to kind of jive and mesh with former players. Hopefully we’re allowed to do that again.”

Shifting to how the returning players feel about last year’s elimination, and with an assumption that former Wildcats such as Willie Cauley-Stein, Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison will be back on this year’s team, Beckham opened up on the conversations he’s had thus far with some of them and it’s been revealed to him how much they care about Kentucky basketball.

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“Guys have expressed, even last year when we lost, returning guys were like ‘Hell yeah, I’m coming back,’” said Beckham. “It was good to hear that the guys really take it seriously and are extremely competitive. We got several guys coming back that are excited and that kind of want to get that revenge.”

A new development taking place was discussed next, with a round-robin series between The Ville, Louisville’s TBT team, and La Familia taking place to open the season. The first game will be played on July 18 at Kentucky, with the second taking place at Louisville on July 20.

Game three will be decided ultimately by ticket sales, with the fanbase whose home court produces the most overall amount of tickets gaining home-court advantage. Beckham stressed that BBN will have only 24 hours upon announcement to reserve their spot at Historic Memorial Coliseum.

With emphasis, it’s important for the home feel and for fans that even if you’re a Kentucky supporter in Louisville or vice versa that you attend your favorite team’s home event so that they can be credited with the ticket sale.

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I asked Beckham some fun questions to close out the interview, one being if there was a player they tried reaching out to but couldn’t get it to work – he named Kentucky great John Wall.

“Sometimes it’s kind of tough to make it work,” said Beckham. “He’s who everybody always writes us in the comments, and I just want people to know that year in and year out we are trying.”

I asked him if he could create his own La Familia starting lineup with no restrictions, meaning current NBA players or retired legends could play together and he listed the following:

Point Guard: John Wall, Shooting Guard: Derek Anderson, Small Forward: Tayshaun Prince, Power Forward: Anthony Davis, Center: DeMarcus Cousins

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Certainly would be a killer lineup by any means, but Beckham’s closing comments showed how important it is for the guys who do take time out of their schedule to do this every summer.

“I’m very appreciative of the guys that do commit, because it’s a commitment,” said Beckham. “It’s three weeks away from these guys’ families, most of the guys are still playing so this cuts in their break, so I’m thankful for the guys that we are able to get to commit and come to play.”

La Familia opens up the season with a game against The Ville on July 18 at Historic Memorial Coliseum, so go buy those tickets BBN!

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Men's Basketball

Jersey Numbers Revealed for 2026-27 Kentucky Basketball Team

Published

34 minutes ago

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June 8, 2026

By

Kentucky basketball's new-look roster has its numbers. See every player's jersey assignment for the 2026-27 season and what it means for the Wildcats.

It’s been an exciting weekend for Kentucky basketball. In addition to Mark Pope getting a commitment from his highest-ranked prospect in his career, 2027 top-10-ranked wing Ryan Hampton, this coming season’s roster arrived on campus this weekend.

As they prepare to get their first workouts in the Joe Craft practice facility, with practice set to start later this month, player lockers are ready for them. In a social media video posted by assistant coach Mo Williams, player numbers were revealed for this upcoming season.

Of the returnees, Braydon Hawthorne is the sole player to make a change in number, choosing #2, the number he wore in high school and was taken by Jasper Johnson last season.

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As for the incoming players, the majority of them are wearing numbers that have been worn in recent seasons. However, Ousmane N’Diaye is choosing #19 and will be the first player since Willie Rouse in 1954 to sport the number.

Player numbers listed below:

  • Zyon Hawthorne #0
  • Jerone Morton #1
  • Braydon Hawthorne #2
  • Kam Williams #3
  • Mason Williams #4
  • Zoom Diallo #5
  • Trent Noah #9
  • Alex Wilkins #10
  • Franck Kepnang #11
  • Ousmane N’Diaye #19
  • Justin McBride #21
  • Milan Momcilovic #22
  • Malachi Moreno #24
  • Reece Potter #33

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Earns Commitment From No. 6 Prospect in 2027 Class Ryan Hampton

Published

22 hours ago

on

June 7, 2026

By

Photo via UK Athletics


How about a Sunday boom in the recruiting world for you BBN? 

Ryan Hampton, the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2027 class, has officially committed to the University of Kentucky! This is Mark Pope’s first top-10 prospect that he’s earned a commitment from.

Hailing from Rockwall, Texas, Hampton recently took an official visit to campus with his family, which began on Friday, June 5 and spilled into Sunday, June 7, his commitment day. 

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The five-star wing averaged 21.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game during the most recent EYBL Circuit, playing for LivOn and Nightrydas.

Hampton was the first recruit in the 2027 to officially visit with the Wildcats, and now he’s the first to call their shot early and choose the blue and white. 

Pope has signed Milan Momcilovic, the No. 2 ranked transfer, and Hampton, his first top-10 high school prospect just in the past week.

It’s been a crazy week for recruiting, with the narrative around Pope’s ability slowing fading as the top guys continue to be attracted to the Kentucky brand. 

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Men's Basketball

Rankings Roundup: Where Kentucky Basketball Stands After the NBA Draft Deadline

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3 days ago

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June 5, 2026

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ESPN, CBS, FOX, and other national media have all released Kentucky basketball preseason rankings after the NBA Draft deadline. Here's the full breakdown — and what it means for BBN.
IMAGN

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have been a hot topic of debate this college basketball offseason.

Things didn’t start off great, as Kentucky only had two commitments for the first three weeks of the portal period and missed on multiple targets, including Rob Wright and Donnie Freeman. That gave opportunity for critics to voice their opinion on Mark Pope and his roster building, including the national media.

There are certainly valid criticisms, such as the pursuit of Tyran Stokes, despite all signs pointing to him signing with Kansas, which he ultimately did, for months. In the weeks since, Kentucky has recovered to build a roster that has even upgraded in some areas from last season. They retained Malachi Moreno and finished with the second-ranked portal class, which features Milan Momcilovic, one of the best players in the portal.

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Let’s see where the national media has the Wildcats at this point in the offseason.

EvanMiya

Roster Ranking Range: 8-13

ESPN

17. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: Unranked

Momcilovic’s commitment dramatically changes the Wildcats’ 2026-27 outlook, giving them the best shooter in the country and a legitimate focal point on offense. Transfer guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins are both dynamic off the dribble, and Momcilovic’s gravity and spacing will make them far more effective. Malachi Moreno‘s decision to withdraw from the NBA draft was another massive boost for Pope; Moreno is a potential first-round pick at this time next season. International prospect Ousmane N’Diaye and returnee Kam Williams should battle for a starting spot. The offensive potential of this group is as high as any team in the country.

Projected starting lineup

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Zoom Diallo (15.7 PPG at Washington)
Alex Wilkins (17.8 PPG at Furman)
Milan Momcilovic (16.9 PPG at Iowa State)
Ousmane N’Diaye (9.8 PPG for Cremona in Serie A)
Malachi Moreno (7.8 PPG)

CBS Sports

17. Kentucky

Previous Ranking: NR

This ranking is based on the Wildcats returning one of the top six scorers — specifically Malachi Moreno — from a team that finished 22-14 and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, Washington transfers Zoom Diallo and Franck Kepnang, Washington State transfer Jerone Morton, James Madison transfer Justin McBride, Providence transfer Alex Wilkins, four-star prospect Mason Williams, and international prospect Ousmane N’Diaye.

FOX Sports

25. Kentucky

Previous Ranking: NR

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Big Blue Nation was starting to worry that Kentucky wouldn’t have a top-25 roster. The late addition of Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic changes that. He was the top-ranked transfer available in May, and Kentucky landed him.

The retention of Malachi Moreno, who averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds per game last season, is also huge. He’s due for a breakout year. A projected starting five of Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Momcilovic, Ousmane N’Diaye, and Moreno looks very solid and should have Kentucky firmly in the top-25 conversation.

Aaron Torres

15. Kentucky Wildcats

Key Returnees: Malachi Moreno, Kam Williams, Braydon Hawthorne (redshirt), Trent Noah
Key Additions: Milan Momcilovic (transfer), Zoom Diallo (transfer), Alex Wilkins (transfer), Justin McBride (transfer), Jerone Morton (transfer), Franck Kepnang (transfer), Ousmane N’Diaye, Mason Williams, Zyon Hawthorne
Key Departures: Otega Oweh, Jayden Quaintance (NBA Draft), Collin Chandler (transfer), Jaland Lowe (transfer), Brandon Garrison (transfer), Denzel Aberdeen (transfer), Jasper Johnson (transfer), Mo Dioubate (transfer), Andrija Jelavic (transfer)

It took Mark Pope a little longer to finalize his roster than anyone (including Mark Pope) would’ve hoped. But he has his team, and I’ve got to say: I think it has a chance to be really good. And transparently, the pieces fit much better than they did a year ago.

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The big splash was the most recent one, as the Wildcats added transfer star Milan Momcilovic. The former Iowa State star averaged 16.9 points on nearly 49 percent three-point shooting this year and should be able to continue to put up big stats in Pope’s system. Malachi Moreno could be a national breakout star after a productive freshman season and a very productive NBA Draft cycle where he was talked about as a buzzy, fringe first-round pick. And I personally believe the transfer backcourt of Zoom Diallo (Washington) and Alex Wilkins (Furman) fits better than most.

Finally, don’t sleep on returnees Kam Williams and Braydon Hawthorne (who redshirted this past year) as high-upside wings that can knock down shots.

For all the criticism of Pope this off-season — including by me

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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