The Basketball Tournament 2024: The Ville Team Profile

With the home crowd behind them, The Ville look to build off a strong debut last year and win a million dollars

Making their debut as the two seed, The Ville put together an impressive run, making it all the way to the regional finals before losing to Gutter Cat Gang. This year, they’re back, and the team is looking dangerous, with a blend of Louisville legends that want to show the world who Louisville is.

For more TBT team profiles, click here.

Current Roster:

• Chane Behanan (Louisville)
• Chinanu Onuaku (Louisville)
• Chris Dowe (Bellarmine)
• Chris Jones (Louisville)
• David Johnson (Louisville)
• Derrick Walker (Nebraska)
• Dillon Aware (Louisville & Eastern Kentucky)
• Montrezl Harrell (Louisville)
• Nick Mayo (Eastern Kentucky)
• Omar Prewitt (William & Mary)
• Peyton Siva (Louisville)
• Russ Smith (Louisville)

Coaching Staff:

• Jordan Sucher (GM)
• Reece Gaines (Head Coach)
• Terrence Commodore (Asst. Coach)
• Keith Oddo (Asst. Coach)
• Luke Hancock (Asst. Coach)
• Mike Stone (Asst. Coach)
• Chace Recktenwald (Content)

Region: Louisville

All-time Record: 2-1

First Matchup: vs. UnKnighted (July 20 at 1 p.m. on Fox)

Team MVP: Russ Smith

When you make a Mount Rushmore of Louisville players, it’s hard to get Russ off the list. He was a Louisville legend, and always found a way to make the big shot. He passes at a high level, and his energy on defense is contagious. Most importantly, he’s a leader, and on the court, he can be a floor general and make sure his team is on the same page.

Smith suited up in last year’s TBT and averaged an impressive 17.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 2 steals a game. He made threes at a consistent level and hit the 20-point mark in two of the three matchups. The team runs through him, and if he’s playing well, which he will, The Ville has a serious chance at winning this thing.

Make-or-break Player: Montrezl Harrell 

Getting Harrell to play in this tournament was an enormous win for The Ville. He’s played 8 seasons in the NBA and has won a six-man of the Year award in his career. He’s deadly in the paint and rebounds the ball really well. His main role in the NBA has been being a spark off the bench, and for this team, it’ll be his energy on the floor. He’ll go for every 50/50 ball and his athleticism makes him a great defender, even if the box score doesn’t show that.

The Ville have amazing guards, so having an elite big man makes them borderline unstoppable. If everyone is clicking there is no team in this tournament who can beat them. The biggest question is health. Harrell missed the entire 2023-204 NBA season with a torn ACL, so there is a chance that he either plays limited minutes or they sit him out completely. They’ll be fine without him, but he takes them from a title contender to a title favorite.

Team Outlook

It’s hard for your jaw not to drop looking at this roster. You start with Smith and Harrell, but then you see Peyton Siva as well. Siva struggled last year, but his talent and skillset make it so no team can leave him open, or they’ll play. Then there’s Chinanu Onuaku and Chane Behanan, who both averaged over 7 rebounds for the Ville last year.

Then, there’s Chris Jones, who played for Jackson TN Underdawgs last year and averaged 18 points over two games. Finally, there are the new guys David Johnson and Derrick Walker, who both had productive college careers and would most likely be top players on several other TBT teams.

If the roster didn’t make it hard enough to beat The Ville, their opponents would have to beat them in Louisville, where they’d have the home crowd behind them. It gets loud over there, so good luck to whoever they face. The first team that’ll take a shot at them is UnKnighted, the Bellarmine alumni team who should have a little bit of a fanbase behind them, but nothing compared to the Ville. The potential matchup to circle would be the semifinal against La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team. That rivalry game would be one for the ages.

If you’re a betting man, take The Ville, as this team has what it takes to win it all and kickstart the Louisville program back up.