Sean Woods enjoyed seeing former UK players learn how appreciated they still are by Kentucky fans during The Basketball Tournament last summer. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Sean Woods has his place in Kentucky basketball history for being one of “The Unforgettables” that came so close to making the Final Four for coach Rick Pitino in 1992 only to be denied by that historic shot by Duke’s Christian Laettner at the buzzer.
His jersey is hanging from the Rupp Arena rafters along with his Unforgettable teammates who were all inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame. Remember Woods not only scored 21 points in that loss to Duke, but his floater in the lane with 2.1 seconds left gave UK a 103-102 lead that would have made him a UK folk hero if not for Laettner’s shot.
Now Woods is going to be the head coach of La Familia, UK’s alumni team that will be playing in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) in July. He was an assistant under Tyler Ulis last year when UK pursued the $1 million winning prize but lost in the national semifinals.
“It’s a great situation. It allows me to mingle with other former players I don’t know who came after me while they are still in their prime. We all have one thing in common — we wore that Kentucky uniform. We all competed for the same goal,” Woods said. “The age gap is crazy but the beauty of Kentucky basketball is that it is a big fraternity.
“Last year showed guys how significant they are to the state of Kentucky. Most of them were one-and-done players who never really knew what they meant to the state. They are all more significant here than any other place they have been. Some have played a long time in the NBA but never had the same impact as they did here. If you play 20 years in the NBA, you would not make the impact anywhere you have had here.”
Woods appreciates the way new UK coach Mark Pope makes sure players respect the jersey and the name on the front (Kentucky).
“Cal (John Calipari) didn’t really hone in on that because he was trying to help them get where they were wanting to go (NBA). Cal did a great job keeping them away from the masses but what makes this (La Familia) so great is the fans get to show the players the appreciation they have for us being Kentucky players,” Woods said. “Those guys did not know that. They were shocked last year with the love they got.”
Woods still remembers a line of fans at The Manchester, La Familia’s team hotel in 2024, waiting for autographs and pictures.
“Most of the players had not been back here since they left Kentucky,” Woods said. “They didn’t have that chance to enjoy the real impact of what Kentucky basketball is all about. My family was from here. I was almost like a Kentucky kid because I spent the summers in Lexington with my grandmother even though I lived in Indiana.
“But now it is so much fun for me being around the younger players and hearing their stories. They are easy to coach. Once that Kentucky pride gets in their souls they want to win.”
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The Lexington Regional will be July 18-22 at Memorial Coliseum this year instead of at Rupp Arena like it was in 2024. The regional winner will advance to TBT’s quarterfinals on July 29. The semifinals will be July 31, and TBT’s $1 million championship will be played on Aug. 3.
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We gonna win it all again