The Ville sports multiple notable former Louisville players for their second go in the TBT. Russ Smith, Peyton Siva, Chinanu Onuaku and Kyle Kuric are all making return appearances, while Montrezl Harrell will be making his TBT debut. Reece Gaines will serve as The Ville’s head coach this year, with Luke Hancock and Keith Oddo joining as assistants.
Jones is switching sides this year, as he faced The Ville in their inaugural TBT run last season as a member of the Jackson TN Underdawgs. He had a game-high 25 points, but The Ville captured a 79-74 win in the Louisville Regional semifinal.
Most recently, Jones played for the London Lightning (Ontario) during the 2023-24 season. He averaged a team-best 21.6 points and 5.3 assists per game, as well as 5.3 rebounds, helping them win their third straight Basketball Super League championship.
The 6-foot-0, 185-pound guard played two seasons at Louisville from 2013 to 2015 after transferring from Northwest Florida State. As a senior, he averaged 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists over 26 games. He was dismissed from the team late in the season after being charged with rape, but was later exonerated.
As for Avare, he walked on at Louisville for his first two seasons in college before going on to play a pair of seasons at Eastern Kentucky. In his final year as a Colonel, the 5-foot-11, 150-pound guard averaged 4.7 points, 1.0 assists and 0.7 rebounds per game.
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. The Louisville Regional will take place on July 19-14.
