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Treysen Eaglestaff makes dream come true, becomes Fighting Hawk
Eaglestaff grew up wanting to follow in his grand uncle’s footsteps and play for UND. (Courtesy: Treysen Eaglestaff)

Treysen Eaglestaff makes dream come true, becomes Fighting Hawk

BISMARCK, N.D. (BVM) —There was no doubt in Treysen Eaglestaff’s mind when the University of North Dakota offered him a scholarship to play basketball. 

“That was the happiest day of my life,” Eaglestaff said. “I was jumping up and down and screaming. Everyone in my apartment got mad at me because I was yelling.” 

The offer came this past year while Eaglestaff was going through his junior season at Bismarck High School. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard had always dreamed of playing for the Fighting Hawks, and when the offer came, he was ready to yes immediately. His mom wanted him to wait a little just to see what other offers may come, but the wait didn’t last long. 

“I told her I want to do it and she was like, ‘OK go ahead,’ and I was super happy once I did it,” Eaglestaff said. 

On July 5, Eaglestaff announced via Twitter he was verbally committing to UND and became the first commit for the Fighting Hawks in the Class of 2022. The decision put the finishing touches on an impressive junior year and accomplished a goal he had set for himself a long time ago. 

“I always wanted to go there because of family stuff,” Eaglestaff said. 

The family stuff was stories a young Eaglestaff would hear about his grand uncle Robert Eaglestaff who played at UND in the 1970s and who set a North Dakota high school state record with 69 points in one game during his time at Yates High School. Robert passed away in 1996 and was inducted into the UND Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004. 

As a young kid, Treysen was inspired by the man who is the origin of his middle name and wanted to try to replicate what he did. 

“I heard about all the stuff he did like how good at basketball he was,” Eaglestaff said. “I heard he’s a legend in North Dakota and I always wanted to be like him growing up.”

The work towards that began early and has continued with no signs of stopping. As a kid, Treysen’s mom worked at the University of Mary and the gym was always open. Treysen would spend his time there using the shooting machine and continuously honing his craft. 

“I just played basketball all the time,” Treysen said.

Even with all the time put in there was never a guarantee that Treysen would achieve his goal until his sophomore year. In their first game of the season, a non-conference matchup against Fargo North, Treysen was given some playing time and got the coaching staff’s attention. Then in the next game against Mandan, Treysen scored 25 points. 

Prior to those two games, Treysen had been slotted in as a junior varsity player, but after an impressive preseason and those first two games there was no doubt that Treysen needed to be on varsity. It was also at this time following the Mandan game that Treysen asked his coach, Jordan Wilhelm, if he thought he could play it in college. Wilhelm’s response was, “absolutely.” 

“Ever since that I’ve been working my butt off,” Treysen said. 

As a sophomore coming off the bench, Treysen earned all-conference honors and helped the Demons make it to the state semifinals before the tournament was canceled.  He used the extra time during the pandemic to train at the gym, and when he entered his junior season, the improvements were hard to miss. 

Treysen averaged a team-high 23.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 steals along with 0.7 blocks. He also led the conference in steals, a great indication of how much effort he puts into the defensive side of the ball. His efforts earned his first team all-state honors, but the Demons fell short in the postseason, losing to eventual state champions West Fargo in the first round. 

His impressive junior campaign also caught the attention of colleges and that is when UND first reached out.   

“When they first contacted me I was in Williston and Coach Sather messaged me through Twitter… I was freaking out,” Treysen said. 

After that first contact, the rest is history, and now Treysen is entering his senior year of high school preparing to finish strong but also build for the future. 

“This year I’m trying to focus on what I can do better in college,” Treysen said. 

With his dream fulfilled, it now is up to Treysen to continue living it and add his own chapter to the Eaglestaff Fighting Hawks history.