KSR Today: Peach Jam Live Period, La Familia Wins Opener

Well, the Peach Jam live period is officially underway as of 6 p.m. ET on Friday. KSR and KSR+ are in attendance to provide live updates throughout the weekend, right in the middle of the action in North Augusta at Riverview Park Activities Center.

Kentucky assistant coaches Jason Hart and Cody Fueger stopped by Friday evening to check out some of the late games. Meanwhile, Mark Pope has been everywhere and back, starting in Atlanta, flying to Indy, and now at Peach Jam with us early on Saturday morning with a cup of coffee in his hand. Does this man ever sleep?

Hart and Fueger started off the event watching 2025 four-star guard Brayden Burries. Then, they split off with Fueger watching four-star guard Isaiah Denis and Hart watching another four-star guard in Acaden Lewis.

It was a slow night, but they’re expected to see the likes of AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, and Jasper Johnson, among many others, on Saturday. Meanwhile, while we’re at Peach Jam, coaches will be in attendance at all three events of the weekend. Adidas is hosting players at All-American Camp at OTE, including Darryn Peterson, Malachi Moreno, and Mikel Brown. At Puma, they’re checking Chris Cenac and Eric Reibe.

It’s gonna be a busy, recruiting-heavy Saturday. Get settled in and enjoy the ride with us.

A New Potential Option for 2024

Speaking of recruiting, a new option has emerged for Kentucky in 2024 for this upcoming season. KSR+ reporter Jacob Polacheck was the first to break the news that NBA Global Academy center Julius Halaifonua is reclassifying from 2025 to 2024.

Kentucky assistant Cody Fueger watched Halaifonua at the NBA Global Academy Games in Atlanta and was apparently impressed. KSR+ reports that the staff has been in contact with the people who run his recruitment. Kentucky will be fighting with Virginia Tech, Xavier, and UNC for his services.

Mark Pope has talked extensively about the program’s open 13th scholarship and their patience in finding the right fit to close out his debut roster in Lexington. Standing 7-1, 290 pounds with skill and touch, Halaifonua appears to be a perfect fit for Kentucky’s offense, potentially recreating the role and production Aly Khalifa brought at BYU.

Is this the right fit to put a bow on the 2024-25 group? We won’t have to wait long to find out.

La Familia Takes Down 305 Ballers in TBT Opener

Those are the future guys. How about the past? That’s what La Familia and The Basketball Tournament are for, Kentucky’s alumni squad getting off to as good of a start as you could possibly ask for, steamrolling 305 Ballers 82-56.

Kerem Kanter — the younger brother of Enes Kanter — was the surprise of the night, leading the way with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Eric Bledsoe and Aaron Harrison each had 13 points. Even Willie Cauley-Stein was nailing threes.

It was a memorable evening that saw just short of 4,000 fans make their way to Rupp Arena to watch some all-time fan favorites in action. And the players certainly appreciated the love, signing autographs and taking pictures before and after the big win.

“It’s electric bro,” Cauley-Stein said of the crowd. “I felt it in the back of the locker room, all the guys coming in like Willie don’t go out there, you’re gonna get bombarded, and I’m like that’s what I love! I felt my hairs come up and get the little chills, I knew it was gonna be a good time. I knew it was gonna be a show.

“We represent (the fans), we’re Kentucky through and through. When we put on that jersey we’re playing for them. They don’t get to experience this, so we got to go out there and put on a show so they can experience some type of energy that we put on.”

La Familia will return to game action inside Rupp Arena on Sunday to face The Nawf at 2:00 p.m. EST — hopefully in front of yet another rowdy sea of blue. Tickets for game two are available here.

Tyler Ulis, Harrison Twins discuss their return to Rupp Arena

What were head coach Tyler Ulis’ thoughts after the win? What was it like for Aaron and Andrew Harrison being back where it all started at Rupp Arena? They returned to the press conference podium like they did so many times over the years.

Watch the presser in its entirety below:

KSR rapidly reacts to La Familia’s win

What was it like being in the gym for La Familia’s event-opening win? KSR was four-deep to soak it all in and break it all down afterward. Zack Geoghegan was joined by Drew Franklin, Mario Maitland and Daniel Hager to talk about the atmosphere, individual standouts from the win and what’s to come on Sunday when they run it back against The Nawf.

Take a look: