Kentucky men’s basketball lost a second target on its transfer target board on Sunday morning when former North Dakota junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff committed to an SEC rival in South Carolina.
On3’s Joe Tipton confirmed the news on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Eaglestaff was one of Kentucky’s very first targets in the 2025 portal due to his quick entry into it as the Cats battled with the likes of Michigan, St. John’s, Kansas, LSU and Alabama.
He averaged 18.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per night while shooting 41.6% from the field. This includes a statement 51-point showing in the Summit League Tournament against South Dakota State. He also scored 40 against Alabama earlier in the season.
Despite his eventual Gamecock status, Eaglestaff did confirm that he had heard from Kentucky when in the portal and seemed to imply the interest was mutual, telling KSR’s Jacob Polacheck that UK was “one of the best schools in college basketball.”
Eaglestaff had spent three seasons at North Dakota after committing out of Bismarck High School in the state. He was a zero-star prospect as a recruit, but his strong play and ability against top schools made him into a four-star transfer.
He helped the Fighting Hawks to be competitive in most games they played, but ultimately a good season was not in the Cards as UND finished 12-21 overall and 5-11 in conference to finish in the bottom half of a Summit League that would be won by eventual NCAA Tournament No. 15 seed Omaha.
After his 51 points propelled North Dakota over South Dakota State in the Summit League Tournament, the squad simply ran out of gas and was bested by St. Thomas (MN) 85-69 to end the 2024-25 season.
Looking for a new home for his senior season, Eaglestaff had been targeted by Kentucky but the Wildcats quickly seemed to take a backseat as they pushed for other targets and other schools pushed harder for the Fighting Hawk.
One such program that made a significant push was Lamont Paris’ South Carolina Gamecocks, fresh off a dead-last finish in the conference after being raided in the transfer portal last season. Paris declined the squad’s invitation to the NIT and emphasized that he was focused on getting UofSC back into the NCAA Tournament.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for the NIT and the exciting opportunity it provides good teams to continue playing for a championship,” Paris said in a statement after rejecting the bid. “Unfortunately, due to some attrition on our roster with injuries we decided it was best not to participate this year. We will build on that and start our work immediately as we look to make a return to the NCAA Tournament in 2026.”
Hosting Eaglestaff for an official visit just before his commitment, it became clear that the fit was there, bringing the Bismarck native into the SEC albeit not with Kentucky.
He can be expected to put up a high volume of 3-pointers, creating an emphasis on perimeter defense for any squad going against the Gamecocks.
“Coach said he wants me to get up a bunch of threes,” Eaglestaff told The Big Spur of 247Sports. “That’s one thing I’m trying to do. Just space the floor as best I can, try to make the play and shoot the ball. I think that’s the biggest thing when it comes to style of play at South Carolina. That’s one big thing Coach Paris emphasizes.”
