Russ Smith will play for Louisville's TBT team this summer at Freedom Hall

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Former University of Louisville men's basketball star Russ Smith will return for a summer basketball tournament.

TheVille will host a regional from July 19-24 for The Basketball Tournament, a 64-team, $1 million winner-take-all summer event.

Louisville's team will be headlined by longtime NBA standout Montrezl Harrell, along with Peyton Siva, who captained the 2013 team to a national championship, and now Smith.

Smith led the The Ville in scoring last summer, averaging 17 points per game.

Siva, who was the first to commit for another TBT season after The Ville reached the regional championship last season, said he's looking forward to a return to Freedom Hall. The team drew 5,463 to its first tournament game last summer, the fourth-largest crowd in event history.

The winner of the Louisville regional will advance to play the winner of the Lexington regional on July 30. A University of Kentucky alumni team, La Familia, will host a regional in Rupp Arena. That squad will be led by Eric Bledsoe.

"I have a lot of love for UK fans, and they respect me on and off the court," Smith said in a news release. "I can't wait to possibly play in Rupp Arena again. Such a legendary venue rich in basketball history. Our biggest priority is winning. We are in it to win it all this year."

Other commitments will be announced periodically on the team's X account, @TBT_Louisville.

Tickets for the 2024 Louisville Regional will go on sale at a later date. To be the first to secure tickets for the event, fans can sign up for TBT's waitlist by clicking here.

Smith's bourbon, Mr. & Mrs. is expanding its partnership with the tournament. It will be the exclusive bourbon in Freedom Hall and Rupp Arena. Smith also said limited edition bottles for The Ville and La Familia teams will be released at Kroger and Liquor Barn locations in Louisville and Lexington.

"We are only releasing up to 1000 bottles for each team, so do not miss out on these collector item," Smith said. "We love doing unique collaborations on our bottles. Whether it's for a good cause, or to commemorate a rivalry, when the juice is quality, you can be creative and have fun with the bourbon."

Bottles will go on sale in June and signing dates will be announced.

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