Q & A with Nistler CoBPA Student and Men’s Basketball Standout Treysen Eaglestaff

Treysen Eaglestaff is a freshman on the Men’s Basketball team at UND and is a Business Economics major in the Nistler College of Business and Public Administration.  He is a North Dakota native, holds seven school records for basketball at Bismarck High School, and was named Mr. Basketball North Dakota last year.  Treysen played a huge role in the Fighting Hawks breaking the school record for threes in a single game on January 19th against Kansas City. During that game, the Fighting Hawks had 18 threes, and of those, Eaglestaff had five and finished with a game high 19 points.  He has recently taken on a leadership role as a starter on the team, starting 11 of the last 12 games for the Hawks.  Get to know the freshman phenom and his thoughts on UND as you keep reading.  

What is the hardest thing about being a student athlete?

Treysen Eaglestaff: The hardest thing about being a student athlete has to be managing time with practice, school, and having a social life outside of everything. Being an athlete while trying to maintain a good GPA is hard to do and especially at the college level.

What made you choose UND?

I have been set on going to UND ever since I was little. My great grandpa came here in the 70s and is on two hall of fame teams that were very good. I was named after him as well and he has a star quilt dedicated to him right by our coaches office, so it just feels like home. I was also born and raised in North Dakota and I wanted to be close to my family.

How have your professors in the Nistler College of Business and Public Administration helped you adjust to being a student athlete in college?

My professors have been very understanding and they are very good at communicating with me whenever I am gone for a trip. I was gone for nine days last semester, and I didn’t fall behind at all because of my amazing professors. 

How has the adjustment into the leadership role as a starter been for you as a freshman?

The adjustment to becoming more of a leader has been a big jump for me because I feel like some 18 year old kid trying to hype up some 22 year olds.  I was really uncomfortable right away, but now I don’t see the age gap anymore and I feel like any other college basketball player.  It just took some time to get used to and it made me mature a lot faster, which I really needed at this level.

Do you feel that there is a legacy for you to follow with your great grandpa being in the UND Hall of Fame and a basketball player here before you?

I feel like there is definitely a legacy for me to follow, but I don’t feel like there is a big weight on my shoulders because no matter what I do or how I go about, I feel like he would be proud of me anyway.  But with that being said, I will always work my hardest and will always want to be the best I can be. With all of that, I just want to be able to play basketball to the best of my ability and never settle with myself.

Who is your biggest inspiration? 

My biggest inspiration is my mom, and it’s not even close.  She raised me by herself and even though she always had to work because we didn’t have a lot, she always managed for me and I will forever be grateful for what she has done. It showed me growing up that if you care about something, you need to take care of it and work for it. She worked really hard for everything she has and that’s my mentality when it comes to life because nothing comes easy.

What is your favorite thing about UND in general?

My favorite thing has to be the family and environment. I know a lot of people here and whenever I walk into a building everyone is always nice. At the union, I think they call him uncle something, works at Chick-fil-A and sings the national anthem for some of our home games. Whenever I go there and see him, he always brings energy to people around him and is so nice, and I don’t think you can find that anywhere else. When I see little things like that, it makes me liken this place more and more. So, I have to say the environment and people around the campus are my favorite things about UND.