The West Virginia basketball program continues to add key pieces to the roster with the latest perhaps being the most attention-grabbing to date in North Dakota guard Treysen Eaglestaff.
Eaglestaff, 6-foot-6, 190-pounds, was originally committed to South Carolina but backed off that pledge and drew interest from a long list of schools including Kentucky, Gonzaga, Iowa, BYU and others.
But West Virginia was able to get Eaglestaff on campus for an official visit and closed the deal giving head coach Ross Hodge one of the most prolific scorers available in the transfer portal this cycle.
Eaglestaff is coming off a junior campaign where he averaged 18.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 41.6-perecent from the floor and almost 36-percent from three. That included a 40-point game against Alabama and a 51-point output against South Dakota State.
The experienced guard has played in 98 college basketball games and started 76 of those including every game for the past two seasons at North Dakota.
On the floor, it gives West Virginia a lengthy scoring option that displayed the ability to score from all three levels of the floor during his time at North Dakota. Now, the question automatically becomes how well that translates to the Big 12 Conference, but Eaglestaff certainly gives the Mountaineers a talented option that can create scoring opportunities for himself as well as space the floor with his shooting.
Eaglestaff also brings positional flexibility as he could fill a role anywhere from one to three and is a strong enough passer and ball handler that he could be used as a point guard at times.
The coaching staff is adding another strong shooting option into the mix after already securing a commitment from Chattanooga guard Honor Huff, who shot 41.6-percent from three last season and made a total of 131 three-pointers over the course of the year. The program also has North Texas transfer Jasper Floyd who connected on a total of 34.3-percent of his three-pointers a season ago.
While Eaglestaff is more known for his efforts on the offensive end, the transfer guard now will have the opportunity to play in Hodge’s no-middle style defense in his final year of eligibility as well providing good length to a roster already filled with positional versatility on that end.
Hodge has already added eight players to the roster since he took over and the recipe has been quite clear with a focus on the defensive end with athleticism and versatility, on top of finding offensive pieces that can not only knock down shots but also pieces that can put pressure on the rim.
The pace of play during Hodge’s time at North Texas was deliberately slower in order to give them a better chance to compete against all levels of competition but the moves to date suggest that it could be sped up some with the scoring options he will have at his disposal.
And the work isn’t over yet as Texas San Antonio guard Marcus Millender is set to take an official visit to Morgantown and is coming off a season where he averaged 14.9 points, 3.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 44-percent from the field and 43.8-percent from three this past season for the Roadrunners.
The program also has made contact with a number of other talented players in the portal as Hodge is working to put the roster together.
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