Eaglestaff and Huff starting to get comfortable in Hodge’s system
If a basketball fan were to turn on a game featuring Ross Hodge’s North Texas team last season, the thing that would likely stick out the most to them is the way they play defense.
Hodge has cemented himself as a defensive mastermind, but with two elite players on the offensive end in Treysen Eaglestaff and Honor Huff, Hodge says it’s been a learning process for them as they continue to develop.
“Two players that basketball is really important to them. They want to be great, so they’ve really opened themselves up to allowing us to push them past their comfort zones. And so, legs may be a little short on some jump shots at the moment, hitting the front of rim, getting their legs under them. But, they’ve both trained really hard and they’re both tremendous people and tremendous teammates. They really care about their teammates. They really have a heart for, other people. And like I said, if that’s the combination, those type of personalities will usually allow you to push them past the point of what they’ve been doing,” Hodge said.
Eaglestaff and Huff will likely be relied upon to score the ball a ton for the Mountaineers this season. Eaglestaff comes to WVU from North Dakota, where he averaged 18.9 points per game, including a 51-point performance this past season. Huff was one of the best perimeter shooters in the country, knocking down 131 3-pointers last season, which was the most in the country.
“I think, Honor’s playmaking ability for his teammates, maybe you didn’t think it was as high as it was. But like I said, if you go back and you looked at his junior year, his usage rate was higher, he had the ball a lot more. And then the way they played last year, the ball just touched everybody’s hands a lot more. But you know, that’s been a pleasant surprise,” Hodge said.
While both players are known for their game in terms of scoring the ball, Hodge’s play style has forced them to have more of an emphasis on the defensive end.
Eaglestaff went through the NBA Draft process, where he received feedback, especially on needing to be better on defense, if he wants to play at the next level.
“When those guys go and they take part in that draft process, they’re just getting direct feedback. And a lot of the times that direct feedback is what you need them to improve on. So, um, Treysen (Eaglestaff) knows he has to be a better defender because you can’t be a liability and want to play at the highest level,” Hodge said.
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