The Louisville men's basketball program's alumni team that is taking part in the 2023 iteration of The Basketball Tournament is getting a massive boost.
Russ Smith, one of the top player in the history of the Cardinals, is joining the playing roster for "The Ville," TBT announced Tuesday.
“Since the games are at Freedom Hall, I’ll get to play in front of all of the Louisville fans,” Smith said in a video posted to TBT’s official Twitter account.
The 6-foot-0 shooting guard joins a roster that is full of names familiar to Louisville fans. Luke Hancock, Mark Lieberman and Jordan Sucher are among those that will serve on the coaching staff for "The Ville," with Peyton Siva, Kyle Kuric, Steven Enoch, Rakeem Buckles and Dillon Avare having also committed to the playing roster. Additional roster announcements will be made in the coming weeks through the team’s Twitter page, @TBT_Louisville.
Smith is currently playing overseas in Italy for Pallacanestro Nardò, and is expected to return stateside once the Serie A2 playoffs end. He is averaging 24.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.1 assists per game, with Nardò currently in the Serie A2 quarterfinals.
The Brooklyn, N.Y. native is Louisville’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,908 points, helped lead the Cardinals to the 2013 national championship, and was named a consensus First Team All-American after putting up 18.2 points, 4.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in 2013-14. He had his No. 2 jersey retired by UofL early last year, and is one of five former Cardinals to have his number retired.
TBT is a 64-team, $1 million winner-take-all tournament that has seen its popularity rise in recent years after it was first established in 2014. While anyone over 18 years old and not currently on an NBA roster can play, teams more often than not consist of former collegiate and professional basketball players.
It is also home to the Elam Ending, which is an alternate way to conclude basketball games without them turning into an intentional foul fest. At the first dead ball under four minutes in the fourth quarter, a target score for both teams is then established by adding eight points to the leading team’s score.
"The Ville" will host to one of TBT’s eight regional locations, with play taking place at legendary Freedom Hall. Eight teams will compete in the Louisville Regional, with the regional champion advancing to the quarterfinals. One of TBT’s Quarterfinals games will also take place at Freedom Hall, with the winner of the Louisville Regional taking on the champion of another regional.
The Louisville Regional lasts from Tuesday, July 25 to Saturday, July 29, with the Quarterfinal at Freedom Hall taking place on Monday, July 31. The exact schedule for "The Ville" has yet to be released.
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