Observing Collin Mulholland, Devin Tillis, and Trey Bonham in the 2025 NIT Championship Game

April 4th, 2025

Yesterday, I took the time to watch Chattanooga square off against UC Irvine in the 2025 NIT Championship game. I was hoping to watch Chattanooga’s 6-7 point forward Frank Champion play, but unfortunately, he couldn’t because of a knee injury. It was still an exciting game nonetheless, as UC Irvine’s 6-6 senior swingman Devin Tillis played against a solid Chattanooga basketball team. This game went to overtime, and Chattanooga was able to get a one-point victory to win the NIT Championship. Here are my thoughts on how various players fared in this game.

Collin Mulholland scored 19 points and made 5 threes to lead Chattanooga to a 85-84 overtime win over UC Irvine in the 2025 NIT championship game. (Photo: Joe Robbins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images, via Los Angeles Times)

Chattanooga’s 6-10 freshman forward, Collin Mulholland had a solid showing in his team’s overtime win over UC Irvine. He is an agile, skilled sharpshooting big man that showed off promising shooting and scoring skills, as he is a tall, stretch big that can make threes from long distance.

He scored 19 points and made 5 three-pointers in this game. While he was streaky with his outside shot, he showed that he can ably make open spot-up threes off the catch, and he also moved off the ball to make one to showcase his movement shooting skills. He also was able to use a pivot move to score on a jump hook out of the post, and Mulholland also used a pump fake to draw free throws on a roll to the rim. He has a crafty pump fake that allows him to get open shot opportunities from around the basket.

He also showcased satisfactory playmaking skills. Mulholland is an unselfish player that can make accurate passes and find teammates on the move to set up plenty of scoring chances for his teammates, and he also was able to set a fairly solid off-ball screen another time. On one play though, after using a crafty pump fake, he attempted to drive to the hoop, but ended up stepping out of bounds.

Though he didn’t get many boards for a player his size in this game, he was able to get some rebounds to chip in on the glass. Defensively, Mulholland was active, and he would use his length and activity to try to challenge shots inside, but he would sometimes play too aggressively, which would lead him to pick up fouls.

In general, Collin Mulholland played well in this game, and he played much better than the box score stats suggested. He is an offensively skilled big man that may have some upside, as his ability to knock down shots and make plays on offense could enable him to be a situational, offensive minded big man off the bench at the NBA level sometime in the future.

Devin Tillis scored 19 points, made 3 threes, and had 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in his team’s 85-84 overtime loss to Chattanooga in the 2025 NIT championship game. (Photo: Grace Hollars/IndyStar)

UC Irvine’s 6-6 senior swingman, Devin Tillis had a strong showing in his team’s tough loss to Chattanooga. He is a strong, physical player that showed a knack for making open, deep threes smoothly, and he also excelled as a scorer out of the post, as he showed the moves, strength, and footwork to consistently score around the basket. Plus, he also managed to score on a cut to the basket. While he doesn’t possess elite foot speed or ball handling skills, Tillis made smart plays and did a great job of making threes and baskets from the block.

He also showcased satisfactory playmaking skills. Tillis would make deft touch passes to find teammates on the move to rack up assists, due to possessing solid court vision. On the downside, he’s not especially quick or fast, and he would sometimes struggle to handle the ball when pressured, which would lead him to commit ball-handling turnovers.

Also, Tillis showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball. In summary, Tillis had a very solid all-around game, and he is a skilled forward that projects well into a 3 and D role at the NBA level.

Chattanooga’s senior point guard, Trey Bonham scored 19 points, and had 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in his team’s 85-84 win over UC Irvine in the 2025 NIT championship game. (Photo: Getty Images, via CBS Sports)

Chattanooga’s 6-0 senior point guard, Trey Bonham put forth a solid performance in his team’s win over UC Irvine. He scored 19 points, and had 10 rebounds, and 3 assists to help his team get the victory.

He is an agile, skilled combo guard that showed a solid floater game, and he also was able to make a very deep, buzzer-beating three towards the end of the half to give his team some much needed momentum. He also was able to use a crafty pump fake to score off of a quick backdoor cut. He’s not an especially quick guard, but his strong floater game and ability to make a variety of shots enabled his team to continue to put pressure on the defense.

He also showcased decent playmaking skills. He was able to make some solid passes as he reads the floor well and can set up plenty of scoring chances for his teammates. He also rebounded the ball really well, and he also defended well, as he would get his hands on passes to get steals. Overall, Bonham played well in his team’s win over UC Irvine. While he is undersized for his position, he is a crafty playmaker that could compete for a roster spot in the NBA, and he may have the skills to carve out a solid playing career in professional basketball.

Chattanooga’s 6-7 senior forward, Garrison Keeslar had a sterling performance in his team’s overtime win over UC Irvine. While his season stats may not exactly be eye popping, with the exception of that he’s averaged over three assists per game for a 6-7 forward, he was tremendous in his team’s win over UC Irvine, especially in crunch time. In this game, he scored 14 points, and had 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, and he also made 3 threes as well.

Keeslar showed that he can ably knock down outside shots, particularly open spot-up threes off the catch. He didn’t look to take many shots from inside the arc, but he was able to use a quick ball fake and pull up to make an open mid-range jumper late in this game.

He also passed the ball well. He tended to make good reads, as he excelled at making passes off the dribble and finding teammates on the move to set up plenty of scoring chances for his teammates. He also rebounded the ball very well. He also defended well, as he would intercept passes and poke balls away to get plenty of steals for his team.

Overall, Garrison Keeslar played very well to help his team win the NIT Championship, and his play was instrumental in helping them hoist the trophy. He may not be the conventional prospect, as he hasn’t taken many shots this season and was a low usage player this year, but he had a tremendous game in his team’s win over UC Irvine. He played well in this tournament, and he could maybe earn looks from NBA teams, which could either allow him to play in the NBA sometime down the road, or at least to carve out a solid playing career in professional basketball.

UC Irvine’s 6-4 freshman guard, Jurian Dixon had a solid showing in his team’s overtime loss to Chattanooga. He is an athletic scoring guard that showed off a variety of scoring skills, as he can quickly get to the hoop to score, and he also managed to excel as a scorer out of the post as well as from beyond the arc. He also was able to chip in to get his fair share of boards on both ends of the floor. He missed an unfortunate layup at the end that could have given his team the go-ahead basket late in overtime, but Dixon still excelled as a shot maker in this game, and he shows promise as an athletic, scoring combo guard that could project well into a bench role in the NBA in the future.

UC Irvine’s 6-2 sophomore point guard, Myles Che also had a solid showing in his team’s tough loss to Chattanooga. He is an agile, skilled playmaker that showed off a solid floater game, and showed the knack for finding ways to draw fouls upon his defenders to get to the free throw line. He also passed and handled the ball well, as he would make crisp passes to consistently find the open man due to possessing solid court vision.

Though he didn’t get many rebounds in this game, Che was able to dive on the ground hard to get a defensive board due to possessing a good motor. He also showed some defensive skills. He was able to successfully hold his ground and contest a shot when defending a bigger player in the post to force a miss. However, on a separate play, he closed out too hard when rotating to a shooter, and he ended up fouling his man on a corner three late in regulation.

Overall, Myles Che played well in his team’s loss, and he could be a prospect to watch next season. He’ll need to show that he can consistently play well against top-notch competition, but he is a smart, skilled playmaker that could project into a game managing, backup point guard role at the NBA level.

UC Irvine’s 6-2 senior point guard, Justin Hohn had his ups and downs in his team’s tough loss to Chattanooga. He played well early on, but he struggled with misses and turnovers in crunch time. Hohn generally did a good job of scoring on crafty drives to the hoop, but he struggled to consistently knock down threes, as he would sometimes take tough, rushed shots that would hurt his shooting percentages.

As a playmaker, he looked to be fairly average. He would sometimes push the pace and make deft passes to find teammates on the move to get them prime chances to score on offense. However, he would sometimes tend to play too carelessly and make hasty passes that would lead him to commit turnovers. Another time, he took one too many steps when handling the ball that led him to commit a traveling violation.

He also rebounded the ball well. He also defended well. Hohn would get his hands on passes to get steals and deflections. He also managed to rotate to strip an opposing ball handler to get another steal. On one play though, he closed out a little too hard and ended up fouling an opponent on a three-point shot.

Overall, Hohn had some solid moments despite not playing too well overall in his team’s tough loss to Chattanooga. Still, he showed promise as a prospect for the NBA, and he may have the skills to either make it to the NBA, or to at least carve out a solid playing career in professional basketball.

UC Irvine’s 7-1 senior center, Bent Leuchten had a fairly solid showing in his team’s overtime loss to Chattanooga. He played better as the game progressed, and while he only possesses average athletic gifts, he is a low post scorer that can be a reliable scoring option for his team in the paint. He excelled at scoring on hustle plays, and he also was able to use a spin move after catching the ball off of a roll to score. He struggled to consistently score out of the post, but he’s shown the footwork to get a surprise score around the basket at times.

On the downside, he was quite turnover prone on offense. He tended to be a bit careless on offense, and sometimes he would struggle to make plays out of the post when pressured. He also rebounded the ball very well. Leuchten was also active defensively and would use his length and verticality to challenge shots around the basket, but sometimes he would play too aggressively, which would lead him to pick up fouls.

Overall, Bent Leuchten played fairly well in his team’s loss to Chattanooga. He’s excelled as an interior player in college, and he was quite effective for UC Irvine. At the next level, he’ll need to improve his mobility, add a reliable outside shot to his arsenal, and he’ll need to show NBA teams that he can guard upper-echelon opponents in games. He has the potential to make it as a backup center at the NBA level, but if not, he could still carve out a solid playing career in professional basketball.

Chattanooga’s 6-6 senior forward, Bash Wieland didn’t make spectacular plays, but his playmaking skills were vital in helping his team get an overtime win over UC Irvine. He struggled to consistently make shots, but he seemed to be fairly effective at making mid-range jumpers, and he also managed to score on a put back.

He also passed and handled the ball well, as he excelled at making drive and kick passes and finding teammates on the move due to possessing solid court vision. He also showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball. Defensively, he was active, but he would play too aggressively and pick up fouls.

Overall, Wieland made team plays, as he excelled as a facilitator in his team’s win over UC Irvine. He may only be an average athlete and may be a low volume role player, so he may be a long shot to make it to the NBA, but his team-oriented play and high basketball IQ could make him a solid candidate to succeed as a player in international basketball when his collegiate career ends.

UC Irvine’s 6-11 sophomore big man, Elijah Chol played well in limited minutes in his team’s overtime loss to Chattanooga. He excelled at scoring on hustle plays. He was able to score on a tough put back in traffic. He also managed to score on a roll to the rim. Plus, he managed to deflect a pass when he was on defense. Overall, Chol hasn’t played much in college basketball, but he is a mobile, energetic big man that could be due for a breakout season in college basketball next year, and if he works hard, he could perhaps end up making an NBA team’s summer league roster sometime down the road.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Collin Mulholland, Devin Tillis, Trey Bonham, and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.