Watch: Mark Lieberman, 'The Ville' Players Talk First Pre-TBT Practice

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2023 iteration of The Basketball Tournament, or TBT, is just around the corner. Games being played in the Louisville Regional of the 64-team, $1 million winner-take-all tournament - which will take place at legendary Freedom Hall, - are set to begin on Tuesday, July 25.

With just one week until games tip-off, "The Ville," the Louisville men's basketball program's alumni team participating in the event, was finally able to hold their first organized practice with every member of the team present. The coaching staff was very happy with what they saw from the players during their first practice session at the Kueber Center on the campus of the University of Louisville.

"We didn't know what to expect the first day," The Ville head coach Mark Lieberman said. "You're hopeful that you're going to get them to just work hard, to be excited. It started from the get go. Peyton, his energy was tremendous. Russ's energy, Kyle, the rest of the group was just great. It was like they were almost coaching themselves at time. They were embracing it, and that's really hard when you get a group together and have that synergy right from the get go. I couldn't have been happier with the first day I almost think, like, we're good enough right now schematically to almost go out and play a game."

The playing roster for The Ville features several of the most notable Cardinals from the late-2000's onwards, such as Russ Smith, Peyton Siva, Kyle Kuric, Wayne Blackshear, Chane Behanan and Chinanu Onuaku. Their first opponent in the single elimination tournament will be "War Ready," an Auburn alumni team.

While it won't be exactly like watching a carbon copy of some of the best Louisville teams during the Rick Pitino era, Lieberman believes that their playing style "should certainly bring back some memories."

"You're gonna see (a style that's) pretty similar to what you've seen from all these players," Lieberman said. "We'll extend our defense, offensively, a lot of actions. It might always end up with Russ Smith in the ball screen. ... I think we're going to play- and I'm not trying to be cryptic, but people in Freedom Hall will be very happy with what they see out of the Louisville team. It should certainly be bringing back some memories of how they used to play as well."

Following The Ville's first practice, Lieberman and several players took time to meet with the media. They discussed the first practice, reuniting with old teammates, what the event means to the community, and more.

Below are the videos from their press conferences:

Chinanu Onuaku

Chane Behanan

Kyle Kuric

Peyton Siva

Russ Smith

Mark Lieberman

(Photo of Louie: Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports)

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