As Good as Advertised: Huff and Eaglestaff Will Give WVU a Puncher's Chance to Dance

For the second straight year, West Virginia basketball fans will have to relearn an entire roster, thanks to another coaching change. By now, most know that this team is going to rely heavily on Chattanooga transfer guard Honor Huff and North Dakota transfer Treysen Eaglestaff, and so far, they've been as good as advertised.

"Honor does it every day in practice, so it's not a surprise when you see him go out and make seven, eight threes in a game," head coach Ross Hodge said at Big 12 media day. "He's an incredibly hard worker. He's got an infectious personality, and he's selfless. He's experienced winning and winning at the highest level. He won the NIT Championship last year and made some really big shots along the way. He's another guy you don't have to teach how to win; we're just having to learn how to win together."

"He's another one that can really make shots," Hodge said when asked about Eaglestaff. "The ball comes out of his hand easy. He's an extremely hard worker, and Treysen is a prolific scorer; he's learned how to be more efficient. What's also been great about him is that he really wants to be better. He allows me to coach him hard and direct, and doesn't take it personal. That's why I think you'll see his best basketball ahead of him."

Treysen Eaglestaff — WVU Athletics Communication

Huff and Eaglestaff were two of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal, in large part because of the impact they can have on the offensive end of the floor. In a MTE game against No. 6 Alabama last season, Eaglestaff went off for 40 points on an incredibly efficient 15/30 shooting, including an 8/18 night from range. Later in the year, he topped that performance with a 51-point outing in the Summit League quarterfinal against South Dakota State with similar shooting numbers, hitting 15/28 from the field and 8/18 from deep. The difference? He had 17 shots at the charity stripe as opposed to just two against Bama. He was the only player in the nation to record multiple 40-point efforts.

Honor Huff — WVU Athletics Communication

As for Huff, he registered 10 20-point games and led the entire nation in made three-pointers with 131 and also in minutes per game (36.5). After a rough game in round one of the NIT, Huff bounced back, scoring 26, 21, 12, and 14, helping the Mocs to an NIT championship. In last weekend's secret scrimmage versus Maryland, Huff connected on 10, yes, TEN threes, finishing with 32 points in a convincing win.

Unlike last season when the Mountaineers had to run every through Javon Small, they'll have two elite scorers alongside a few others more than capable of putting the ball in the hoop, such as Brenen Lorient, Jasper Floyd, and Chance Moore. Opposing teams won't be able to just key in on one guy this season, which should give West Virginia more to work with, allowing them to have a puncher's chance in every game.

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