Treysen Eaglestaff, the greatest outside shooter in Fighting Hawks history, leaps to the Big 12.
Treysen Eaglestaff Leaves for Morgantown
In a stunning reversal, former University of North Dakota shooting guard Eaglestaff forgoes his initial transfer plan and heads to West Virginia. While the move drew applause from many places, it drew the ire of a few Gamecocks faithful. Yet, the best outside shooter in Fighting Hawks history leaves merits serious consideration.
In 2024, Eaglestaff averaged 18.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Those numbers ranked him good enough for third. During his 98-game career at UND, the Bismarck, N.D. native scored 1,360 points, ranking fourth all-time in school history. Plus, his 37.1% success rate behind the arc ranks first in school history.
BREAKING: North Dakota transfer guard Treysen Eaglestaff has committed West Virginia, his agent @GeorgeSLangberg of GSL Sports Group tells @On3sports.
The 6-6 junior averaged 18.9 PPG this season. Former South Carolina commit. https://t.co/zete8CkSq5 pic.twitter.com/ROtvMg8Q7j
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 21, 2025
247Sports College Basketball Analyst Isaac Trotter summed up the shooting guard this way:
“Treysen Eaglestaff is a rangy, 6-foot-6 wing who may have had to take the toughest shots in basketball last year. He was constantly forced to bail out North Dakota’s offense. When he’s cooking, Eaglestaff can put up bonkers stat lines, like a 40-burger against Alabama.”
In other words, the team needed Eaglestaff to take all the shots because the defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed. The defense allowed the 23rd most points in Division 1 (79.5). Defense wins championships.
Why West Virginia Over South Carolina?
The former UND sharpshooter made a sound decision. On one hand, he initially chose the University of South Carolina. After decommitting, he chose West Virginia University. South Carolina, to its credit, is an SEC school.
On the negative side, the Gamecocks are an SEC school that needs to face Tennessee, Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, and especially defending champion, Florida.
Why start a season with an automatic six losses? Eaglestaff left North Dakota for a better way. In all honesty, repeated Southeastern Conference beatdowns would not help anyone.
Additionally, West Virginia is a sleeping giant of sorts. Darian DeVries fumigated all of the Huggins’ stench from the program. New head coach Ross Hodge brings his unique style to town, and the fanbase could not be happier. From Wheeling to Matewan, West Virginia desperately wants to see a winning basketball team.
Blue and Gold Nation’s Ryan Decker detailed the signing:
“The Bismarck, North Dakota, native netted 31 points in UND’s third game of the season on Nov. 14. Just over one month later, he scored 40 points on the strength of eight 3-pointers against No. 6 Alabama.
“After tallying 19 or more points eight times over the next two months, he dropped a career-high 51 points against South Dakota State in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
“Eaglestaff shot 8 of 18 from beyond the arc and 13 of 17 from the charity stripe to record the highest-scoring performance of any player in Division I men’s basketball this season.”
KEEP READING: Treysen Eaglestaff Drops Heartfelt 4-Word Message After Committing to WVU
Now, not everyone is excessively thrilled with the decision. Saltiness from all corners of the South Carolina fanbase. Tweet after tweet, angry about a player spurning them. The vitriol fluctuates between sad and hilarious. Rational adults began to crash out over a player they hadn’t heard of two months ago. They faintly remember Eaglestaff dropping 40 on Alabama
At the end of the day, Eaglestaff wins the process. He left his home staff and original school as a hero. Now, his new school will expect him to continue his hot shooting, giving them a scoring jolt. A year ago, few outside the Summit League heard of Eaglestaff. He played in relative obscurity for a mid-major that goes nationally unnoticed.
Now, that completely changed for all parties.
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