The 865 Elite AAU Weekend
Based out of Knoxville, Tennessee, 865 Elite competed at Prep Hoops “The Stage” southeast of basketball-crazed Indianapolis. The 15u team is coached by Brandon Bohanan, who shared his perspective on each player in advance of the event (April 1st). All…
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Continue ReadingBased out of Knoxville, Tennessee, 865 Elite competed at Prep Hoops “The Stage” southeast of basketball-crazed Indianapolis.
The 15u team is coached by Brandon Bohanan, who shared his perspective on each player in advance of the event (April 1st). All quotes attributed to Coach Bohanan came prior. The evaluations are mine, from watching game(s) this weekend specifically.
Numbers to the left of their name is the player’s jersey number.
#1 Bereket Evans (Morristown West)
Coach’s Preview: “He is a really quick guard. Good defender. He is 5’6″ , 5’7”. He can really handle the ball very well. His quickness allows him to get to the rim.
- Room for Improvement: “His three-point shot. He can shoot the ball, but I think his biggest weakness is his three-point shot,” Coach Bohanan. “That is definitely something he can work on and he can get to another level. He plays football as well and runs track.” “He played probably had the most minutes for Mo West. “
Andrew’s Review: After Ty Glasper Ty Glasper 6'1" | PG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2025 State TN , Bereket is the player I was most familiar with heading into this April. The speed is undeniable. He did not move very well away from the basketball. My guess is that Bereket rarely played anything other than point guard in his life. He is shorter and quicker than most, and capable of point guard. This team features around four capable point guards and Glasper, like Evans, is a ball-dominant guard. It will be intriguing to see if Bereket can use his speed to drag his defender around the floor. He needs to be better at creating opportunities this way. Speed never slumps though.
Richard Bell (Northview Academy)
Coach’s Preview: “He is a 5-man,” said Coach Bohanan. “Kind of undersized a little bit, but strong as an ox. He is going to get the rebound.”
- Room for Improvement: Definitely needs to work on his foul shot. That is his weakest thing right now. Very, very tough kid.
Andrew’s Review: Small sample size, but his free throw form looked pretty good Saturday morning. Strong as an ox is a great description, as given by Coach Bohanan. It would be lovely to see him play with more hops. Explosiveness. I imagine he will be a double-double threat next high school season.
#12 Kaleb Musselman (Sevier County)
Coach’s Preview: “Kaleb is probably our best passer on our team,” evaluated Coach Bohanan. “Very, very high IQ. He plays the three and sometimes the four. Really good all-around player.”
- Room for Improvement: “I would say speed on defense.”
Andrew’s Review: Soft touch from mid-range or free throw line. Feet need to get quicker. His touch is the one prominent skill right now. He shoots very well when his feet are set prior. It will be interesting to see what he can do with scoring off-the-dribble. Honestly, it will be tough for him to get “guard touches” on this roster. He might be a faceup-four with this crew, which is not ideal for his long-term development, in my opinion. He projects as a small college 2/3, so the sooner he can play there capably the better.
#10 Ty Glasper Ty Glasper 6'1" | PG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2025 State TN
Coach’s Preview: “He won All-District.” “Cade Murphy or Ty are our go-to players,” observed Coach Bohanan. “I don’t know who to give an edge to.”
Andrew’s Review: Ty wore jersey #10. Coach elected to have Ty jump center. Clearly the best, most refined player on the roster.
#2 Chandler Gamble (Knoxville Christian)
Coach’s Preview: “He is 6’5” said Coach Bohanan. “He can light it up on the perimeter.”
- Room for Improvement: “He needs to work on strength on the inside.” “He is definitely the hardest worker on the team, probably our best defender,” said Coach Bohanan. “Strong kid. Undersized for a post. Plays the two or three. He is tough, tough, tough.
Andrew’s Review: Very thin. Chandler, like most tall freshmen, is a string bean, and it is likely that he could consume 2500 calories/day and not gain wait. It is a blessing and a curse, in that he will be physically weaker than some opponents until his body fills out naturally. This can happen at 16 or even 17 for tall, thin guys like him. With 865 Elite, Chandler was adapting to some schemes, like a press break offensive set. Encouragingly, Chandler appears to be already invested in the weight room as he showed off some decent arms. Again, as a former, very, very thin tall teenager, I can fully understand the frustration. The key is to put in the off-court work. Gamble has a little nastiness to his game, meaning he competes with a hard edge. Not dirty, but gritty.
David Canterbury
Coach’s Preview: “He is definitely the hardest worker on the team, probably our best defender,” said Coach Bohanan. “Strong kid. Undersized for a post. Plays the two or three. He is tough, tough, tough.
- Room for Improvement: “Probably just moving without the basketball better. He has the full package. He didn’t play basketball in school this year. There is not really film on him.”
Andrew’s Review: Key, glue-guy. Defense is hard to find in AAU, and DC does it without complaint. His greatest value will be in making the team better, making them work harder with his game as inspiration.
#3 Eli Graf (Alcoa)
Coach’s Preview: “That is the kid that can get to the rim anytime he wants,” said Coach Bohanan.
- Room for Improvement: “Probably finishing when he gets there. He does finish well, but sometimes he will miss a gimme. Maybe develop his shot a little more on the perimeter.”
Andrew’s Review: Scrappy beyond measure. Eli is a pest of a defender. The guard will likely always be shorter for his position, but not really undersized as he is strong and likely getting stronger phsyically. Graf’s outside shooting does not seem to be his go-to just yet. It must become a threat.