Treysen Eaglestaff Speaks on Bounce-Back Performance: ‘Confidence Will Come From My Work’

West Virginia bounced back in a major way with a 90-58 win over Little Rock Tuesday, and senior guard Treysen Eaglestaff had a turnaround performance of his own.

In the team’s 75-66 loss to Wake Forest, Eaglestaff was scoreless and didn’t attempt a single shot. Tuesday, however, Eaglestaff said he put that performance behind him en route to a 23-point outing while going 5-10 from three-point range.

“That didn’t really affect me today,” Eaglestaff said in the postgame press conference. “I just really just washed it off. I didn’t play the greatest in Charleston. That’s something I have to live with and that’s something I have to get better at. And came to the gym the next day and the day after that and just continue to work. And like Coach [Hodge] says, you can’t predict when like the work’s gonna, like the work you put in when it’s gonna show.”

Eaglestaff has had multiple games with low shooting totals, including four games with five or fewer attempts from the field. Tuesday marked his second-most shot attempts in a game, a signifier of confidence. Eaglestaff says it’s a result of hard work.

“That’s what I’m here for is try to put the ball in the hoop, but that’s what I’m gonna keep trying to do. Confidence will come from my work,” he said.

Head coach Ross Hodge addressed Eaglestaff’s turnaround as well, saying he played a season-low nine minutes against Wake Forest due to his defensive effort.

“We’re always gonna start with like defensive accountability and if you’re, if you’re not defending at a high enough level, it’s just gonna be hard for you to be out there,” Hodge said. “So he didn’t, it was really his defense that limited his offensive abilities on Saturday, which he knew, and again, that’s what you love about him.”

On the note of Eaglestaff being aware of his shortcomings, he added it also comes with “extreme accountability.” According to Hodge, who defended his top transfer recruit earlier in the season, Eaglestaff’s mindset means it’s only a matter of time before he finds his rhythm again.

“There’s always extreme accountability, extreme ownership, combine that with his work ethic and you’re gonna bounce back,” Hodge added.

WVU basketball will take the court again at 8 p.m. on Saturday when it plays Ohio State at the Cleveland Hoops Showdown.

Find more coverage of WVU basketball and Treysen Eaglestaff at WV Sports Now.