Former HHS coach Haworth on The Ville’s staff

Don’t look now, but a familiar face will be on the sideline for The Ville when they take on La Familia Saturday in the first round of The Basketball Tournament at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.

Former Hopkinsville High School head basketball coach Tim Haworth will serve as an assistant coach on Mike Balfour’s staff. The Ville is a team made up of former Louisville players and it will take on a team made up of former University of Kentucky players in the first round of the tournament.

Balfour, who played on the 2013 Louisville National Championship team, was a member of Haworth’s staff at Louisville Male. Haworth said when Balfour was named The Ville’s head coach, he asked Haworth to be his assistant. The former Tigers’ head man didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Haworth, who coached Hoptown to five Region 2 titles and five District 8 crowns from 2010-18, left the Tigers to coach at Louisville Male. In eight seasons with the Bulldogs, Haworth is 170-70 with three Region 7 championships.

Haworth said having the opportunity to coach The Ville is one of his biggest coaching honors.

Haworth, who played at Murray State, said he grew up a Kentucky fan and he’s finding out firsthand about the Louisville-UK rivalry on the Cardinals’ side.

The Ville will meet La Familia at 11 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Coliseum in the best-of-three series. The second game is at 6 p.m. Monday night at Freedom Hall and the third game, if necessary, will be at 6 p.m. July 22 at Memorial Coliseum. The winner advances to the single-elimination portion of the tournament.

Haworth said he has been impressed with the athletes he is coaching this week, including Trey Lewis and Jae Withers, among others.

The winner of the 14-team tournament earns $2 million.

Other teams competing in the Alumni Bracket include Hall In (Seton Hall), Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse), Purple Rain (Kansas State), JHX Hoops (Kansas), Aftershocks (Wichita State), and The Enchantment (New Mexico). The winner of the Alumni Bracket will play the winner of the Non-Alumni Bracket on Aug. 2.

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