Russ Smith to Rejoin Louisville Alumni TBT Team

The former All-American for the Cardinals is running it back with "The Ville."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One of the top players in the history of the Louisville men's basketball program is running it back with the Cardinals' The Basketball Tournament alumni team.

Former All-American guard Russ Smith is joining the 2024 playing roster for "The Ville," TBT announced Tuesday.

"Our biggest priority is winning," Smith said in a statement, "I don't care who we play. We are in it to win it all this year!"

The 6-foot-0, 165-pound shooting guard joins Peyton Siva and Montrezl Harrell as the first players to commit to 'The Ville' for their 2024 run in the TBT. Reece Gaines will serve as head coach, while Luke Hancock will be the associate head coach. Additional roster announcements will be made in the coming weeks through the team’s Twitter page, @TBT_Louisville.

During The Ville's TBT debut last summer at Freedom Hall, the 32-year-old Smith was unquestionably their best player. He led the team in scoring at 17 points per game, and helped guide them all the way to the regional championship.

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 for a matchup against the winner of the Lexington Regional.

The Louisville Regional lasts from Friday, July 19 to Wednesday, July 24. The exact schedule for "The Ville" has yet to be released.

(Photo of Russ Smith: Kim Klement - USA TODAY Sports)

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