By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

The Minnesota-based AAU program, which produced Suggs and Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren, reached out to Eaglestaff’s father, Lance, through a mutual friend. Teysean impressed at his tryout for the program and landed a roster spot three summers ago. 

Lance also assists with the program and his other son, Kenneth, is a member of the 15U J Sizzles team. As a result, Lance and his wife, Kate, have criss-crossed the country for their sons’ basketball tournaments against top-level competition. 

“It’s been a tremendous blessing for our family,” Lance said. “Just to be at these places and meet people and meet the connections. It’s like another family on the road. Everyone takes care of each other. It’s super cool to see that coming from a small town.”

But for Teysean, it didn’t come without some adjustments jumping from South Dakota basketball to high-level AAU hoops. 

“I had to catch up to the pace, the speed and tempo and how athletic all these guys were,” Teysean said. “That’s why I started working hard and working on my quickness. So I could keep up with the competition and actually compete. Because they are so athletic and fast and everyone can jump.”

But Eaglestaff, a springy 6-foot-7, 190-pound guard/forward, caught up to the competition and has seen his game develop each summer. 

“It helped me a lot,” Teysean said about playing AAU basketball. “It just helped me learn the IQ and get more experience of the game. It’s going to help me a lot with high school ball.”

Eaglestaff has held his own against the future college basketball stars of tomorrow, and has blossomed into a Division I prospect himself. Eaglestaff, a knockdown 3-point shooter, also possesses length and athleticism that makes him an intriguing recruit.  

“It’s helped him overall as a player and realize he can compete at the highest level and he’s good,” Lance said. “It’s not like he’s just competing, or he’s out here as just another player. He’s playing ball and he’s hooping with the best players in the country. It’s helped his game tremendously just by getting exposed to this level.”

Eaglestaff has yet to receive a scholarship offer, but he’s garnered interest from Division I programs Colorado State University, Cornell University (New York) and Florida Gulf Coast University. 

In July, Eaglestaff helped 17U J Sizzles win a pair of championships on back-to-back weekends. The squad finished 5-0 at Adidas 3SSB Championships at Palmetto Road in Rock Hill, South Carolina. 17U J Sizzles recently played at the Las Vegas Big Time Tournament and won the Tip of the Hat Championship. In the tournament, Eaglestaff logged 22 points and nailed five 3-pointers against the Florida Rebels, a team loaded with major Division I talent. 

17U J Sizzles won the Tip of the Hat Championship at the Las Vegas Big Time Tournament. (Courtesy photo)

Last season, Eaglestaff transferred from Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School to Bismarck High School (North Dakota) for more exposure and better opportunities. Lance’s oldest son, Treysen, was the 2022 North Dakota Mr. Basketball for Bismarck High School and is currently a guard/forward for the University of North Dakota.

Lance is hopeful Teysean will also benefit from the jump in competition and more exposure.  

“No one is recruiting on the reservations,” Lance said. “No matter how good you are. I figured it would be the best school for him. He likes Bismarck. He enjoys the atmosphere and colleges want to see you compete at the highest level.”

Last season, Teysean averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Demons (13-11). In addition to adjusting on the court and in the classroom, he’s also adapted to living in a bigger city. Eagle Butte has a population around 1,200 people, while Bismarck has roughly 74,000 people. 

“I liked moving to a bigger town,” Teysean said. “I could get into a gym anytime I want. I could always go workout and get shots up. I like being in the bigger city.”