LAS VEGAS — When Treysen Eaglestaff peers out of his hotel window, he's greeted by the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
The towering resort and casino, distinct on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip with its concave structure and glittering blue windows, is another reminder of how far Eaglestaff has come.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Bismarck native and former UND basketball standout has joined the New York Knicks for the 2026 NBA Summer League as an undrafted rookie guard.
"The odds were stacked against me," Eaglestaff said. "I wasn't recruited high out of high school, and (UND head coach Paul) Sather gave me a chance. He trusted me, and I made the most of it. It's just God's timing. Just having these opportunities, it's beyond a blessing — I can't even explain it. ... I could be sitting at home, but instead I'm wearing an NBA jersey and playing against guys that are about to make a quadrillion dollars."
The Summer League is an offseason competition in which NBA teams build summer rosters with rookies, sophomores and G League affiliate players. Eaglestaff joined the Knicks for the Las Vegas NBA Summer League, which is held July 9-16.
For players like Eaglestaff, who went undrafted, it's an opportunity to showcase their talents to an NBA organization.
"If you're not already signed on the team, it's pretty much like a job interview," Eaglestaff said.
Eaglestaff is one of 17 players on New York's Summer League roster. He was connected with the organization through his agent and flew out to New York City for a short training camp before heading to Las Vegas.
When reached by the Herald early this week, Eaglestaff had played in one Summer League game so far. He logged five minutes and recorded two assists and a steal.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It's more athletic, everyone is just a freak," Eaglestaff said. "Everyone is good. There's not one of those guys you can pick on. But if there is, they're a freak offensively."
Sather was there to watch. Eaglestaff, who transferred to West Virginia last year, is still close with the Hawks' head coach.
"I talk to him at least three, four times a month," Eaglestaff said. "Whenever I'm back in Grand Forks, I go to the gym, and I go to his office and just chat sometimes."
Eaglestaff's goal is to find a spot on a G League team and potentially earn a call-up to the NBA.
Seventy-six individual G League players were called up to NBA teams in the 2025-26 season.
"It can change fast if you play well," Eaglestaff said. "I want to stay in the States, try to find a spot on a G League team, and see how much of an impact I can make, and see what it's looking like."
If he doesn't find a team stateside, Eaglestaff is willing to try out an overseas league.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I'm kind of just soaking up the moment, thinking about my past," Eaglestaff said. "My whole goal was to get paid playing basketball. I remember my freshman year, I just wanted to get paid to hoop. ... Now, having the opportunity to do that and actually live financially stable doing that, it's like a dream come true, regardless of if I'm in the NBA or not."
Eaglestaff went through the pre-draft process last season. Every team that offered feedback pointed to his need to improve defensively.
It was a major reason Eaglestaff transferred from UND to West Virginia.
"(At UND) we always had Eli King or B.J. Omot to go guard the best player," Eaglestaff said. "I never had to just fully lock in on (defense). So this past year, having to hold your own in the Big 12, you have to be physical. ... If you're not making as many shots, now you have to play defense, and you have to rebound. You can't mess up. Your team's depending on you. So mentally and physically, it got me where I needed to be to pursue my professional career."
Eaglestaff started all 35 games with the Mountaineers, averaging 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
"My role on that team wasn't to be like the guy I was at UND," Eaglestaff said. "I wasn't going to be the guy who just got the ball and shot every time, which was a mental and physical shift, finding ways to stay on the floor without scoring. I've never done that before.
"It kind of showed me what the pros are like. There's always going to be a Jalen Brunson, there's always going to be a 6-foot-3 guy that can absolutely take over a game — there's always going to be someone else. So it's finding a way to get on the floor without impacting the offense."
ADVERTISEMENT
Though he hasn't had much game action yet, Eaglestaff said the staff has appreciated his effort and readiness to fill in when called upon.
"I wasn't trying to go out of (the system) and do my own thing, and I was playing really hard," Eaglestaff said. "You only get one or two warm-up shots before you get in the game. You sit the whole game, and you wait for an opportunity. When you get there, you've got to be ready — the muscle memory has to kick in. ... When you're starting from the bottom, you've just got to stay ready and hope all that work that you put in comes up when you're ready."