Treysen Eaglestaff Talks Shifting to More Aggressive Mindset Against Campbell

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Senior guard Treysen Eaglestaff had a bounce-back game Thursday in a 73-65 win over Campbell after scoring just one point in the team’s season-opening win over Mount St. Mary’s. Eaglestaff scored 12 points on 5-14 shooting.

In Thursday’s postgame press conference, Eaglestaff spoke on what led to him shooting such a low volume in the first game. He finished with one point on 0-3 shooting against Mount St. Mary’s.

“I was just trying to play a role. That was like my biggest thing. Like, obviously coming from a school where I had to shoot everything to have an Honor Huff and Jasper Floyd then [Brenen Lorient] that just flies,” Eaglestaff said. “We have so many people that can go do so many things. So I’m just not used to like being that passive.”

Eaglestaff averaged 18.9 points per game last season at North Dakota, making his low-scoring Mountaineer debut surprising. On Thursday, he emphasized getting “out of his head” and just playing.

“I’m just trying to please everyone around me and just try to get them involved. And then obviously when game time comes, like a whole different mode comes in your head. You just gotta play and stop thinking. And that’s something I did a lot this summer is just think too much and then today, we just went out there and played,” Eaglestaff said.

Additionally, Eaglestaff said assistant coach Phil Forte encouraged him to be more aggressive against Campbell.

“Tonight, really Coach Forte was in my ear about like, ‘You can just be aggressive.’ Like, ‘Just go…’ I was overthinking it too much and then today some of my shots didn’t fall. I did shoot better percentages, but it definitely felt good just to, just to be aggressive today and just go out there and play basketball,” Eaglestaff said.

In Tuesday’s postgame press conference, head coach Ross Hodge noted how his defensive philosophy can result in players taking time to get their legs under them due to the effort they are required to give on that end. Eaglestaff confirmed it was an adjustment, but he trusts Hodge and his system.

“It’s definitely something I wasn’t used to right away. I know our first scrimmage against Maryland, that’s when it kind of like hit me like, ‘Wow, like your legs are getting really tired when you shoot.’ That’s something I try to work on in practice,” Eaglestaff said. “The defensive aspect, part of it just playing harder and knowing what it takes to win. Coach Hodge is obviously a winning coach and he’s taught me how to be that type of winning player, and that’s something I’m trying to work on every day.”

WVU will take the court again at 3 p.m. Sunday when it hosts Lehigh at the Hope Coliseum.

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