West Virginia answered two of the biggest remaining questions on the basketball roster without adding a single new player into the equation.

That’s because the Mountaineers got the news that two of their key players in transfers Treysen Eaglestaff and Brenen Lorient were pulling out of the NBA Draft process.

It’s not necessarily a major surprise considering that it was the likely outcome all along but it solidifies what head coach Ross Hodge has been able to put together to date.

Eaglestaff was one of the more highly recruited players added to the roster after coming off a standout season at North Dakota. There he averaged 18.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 41.6-percent from the field and 35.9-percent from three.

The North Dakota native initially committed to South Carolina after entering the transfer portal but had a number of high-level options after opening things up, including BYU, Gonzaga and several others before taking an official visit to Morgantown and picking the Mountaineers.

Eaglestaff is expected to be a major piece to the roster build and with one year left will have the opportunity to showcase what he can do within the Big 12 Conference. He has the ability to be used on or off the ball and is going to be counted on to put the ball in the basket.

Lorient was another major building block for Hodge and company, considering the success that he had during last season at North Texas. The forward blossomed for the Mean Green last seaso,n earning American Athletic Conference first-team all-league and Sixth Man of the Year honors.

Lorient averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and over 1.1 blocks per game across 24.8 minutes per game. He shot 57-percent from the field and 47.8-percent from three on 23 attempts. He entered the transfer portal shortly after Hodge left the program with a no-contact tag and elected to follow him to Morgantown while exploring the NBA Draft process.

Now, Lorient will look to make the most of his final season at West Virginia by giving the program an athletic forward at the four spot who has the possibility to expand his game even further.

With those two major building blocks now solidly in the fold, West Virginia has ten roster spots accounted for heading into the season but still will look to put the finishing touches on the group. The Mountaineers are still searching for at least another big man as well as at least one guard and perhaps another wing that can put pressure on the basket at a minimum.

It’s a complete roster rebuild for basically the second consecutive year, but the pieces are now officially sliding into place for Hodge and company to make the most of it.

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — Fifteen West Virginia high school juniors have been named finalists in the West Virginia Scholar Program and are in the running for a full-ride scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Online voting begins June 9 and will end June 18. The winners will be announced at a luncheon at Wesleyan in late June.

The 2025 WV Scholar Finalists:

Emily Lewis – Ripley High School

Lucas Raney – Woodrow Wilson High School

Magdalyn Smith – Spring Mills High School

Isabella Hersey – Marion County Technical Center

Trey Mcdonough – Doddridge County High School

Andrew Harris – Elkins High School

Madeline Steele – St. Mary’s High School

Ladora Cutright – Buckhannon-Upshur High School

Olivia Edwards – Ripley High School

Wyatt Braham (pronounced BRAM) – Preston High School 

Bethany Archer – Lewis – Bridgeport High School

Rhubarb (Rhuby) Ronan – Huntington High School

Owen Herrick – Magnolia High School

Gabrielle Saurino – Preston High School

Logan Vanfosson – Greenbrier East High School

West Virginia Wesleyan Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing John Waltz said the program has changed many lives over the course of 18 years.

“We have been doing this long enough now that there are winners of this program who are doctors, lawyers and other things right in our state, right in our community. So, it has been amazing to see these folks make this kind of impact.” said Waltz. “It really makes the program worthwhile.”

The winner of the scholarship will receive four years of tuition, room and board.

First and second runners-up will also receive scholarships awards.

In addition to WVWC and MetroNews, the West Virginia Scholar Program is sponsored by Greer Industries, Friends of Coal, West Virginia Hospital Association, the West Virginia Farm Bureau and ZMM Architects & Engineers.

One of the biggest things for transfer guard Treysen Eaglestaff when he opened up his recruitment was finding the right fit where he can be himself on the floor.

West Virginia had that and more.

Eaglestaff appeared on the 3 Guys Before the Game podcast and was asked about his role with the Mountaineers this coming season and he emphasized that he just wanted to play in his final year.

The transfer guard is coming off a season at North Dakota where he averaged 18.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 41.6-percent from the field and 35.9-percent from three making him an attractive option in the transfer portal.

After backing off his initial transfer portal commitment to South Carolina, Eaglestaff opened up his recruitment and picked the Mountaineers.

“Whoever is going to let me play and be myself I’ll take that opportunity and coach Hodge emphasized that he has a lot of trust in me and my abilities. I think my role is to be a playmaker,” Eaglestaff said.

Eaglestaff said that he could be used both on and off the ball. He is excited to help his team win.

The talented transfer admitted that once he elected to open his recruitment Gonzaga, BYU and Washington all got involved in his recruitment but the allure of the roster that Hodge had put together with the Mountaineers also was very attractive to him as well outside his own opportunities.

West Virginia had already added Chattanooga transfer guard Honor Huff who made the most three-pointers in college basketball last season and that provides another offensive threat for teams to worry about. The program also already had a proven point guard in Jasper Floyd that plays defense.

“And myself as a playmaker having those two as just the guard position alone I just felt that opens up a lot,” Eaglestaff said.

That doesn’t even include the rest of the roster with pieces such as Brenen Lorient, Harlan Obioha, Chance Moore and Jackson Fields.

“I just thought we had a good chance to win,” Eaglestaff said.