Former Arizona star Henri Veesaar commits to North Carolina basketball
Yesterday at 04:35 PM
One of the most disappointing teams relative to preseason expectations in college hoops was North Carolina basketball this season, and the Tar Heels are determined to ensure that doesn’t happen again. Hubert Davis and company are hard at work in the transfer portal, and they made a big-time pickup on Friday.
Former Arizona big man Henri Veesaar has committed to North Carolina, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
“BREAKING: Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar has committed to North Carolina,” Givony reported on X, formerly Twitter. “The 7-foot Estonian is one of the best available big men in the portal. Important front court addition for Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels.”
Veesaar didn’t start off the season with a massive role for Tommy Lloyd and company, but his skill set grew as the season went along. A season-ending injury to Motiejus Krivas opened the door for Veesaar and he took advantage.
The Estonian, along with Tennessee transfer Tobe Awaka, formed one of the best big man duos in the Big 12 in 2024-25. For the season, Veesaar averaged 9.4 points and five rebounds per game while shooting better than 59% from the floor. He was also a force on the defensive end, blocking 1.1 shots per game in just over 20 minutes a night.
One of the biggest improvements that Veesaar made as a sophomore was his ability to operate in space. He improved his jump shot and became a 32.7% 3-point shooter on increased volume, so North Carolina fans can be optimistic that he will be able to space the floor next season.
Veesaar has some work to do defensively, and he could afford to put some extra weight and strength on in order to battle with some bigger centers in the post. For example, Oregon’s Nate Bittle gave him a lot of trouble in the NCAA Tournament. However, Veesaar is a strong ball screen defender who moves very well in space and can at the very least hold his own on the perimeter.
The front court was the clear weakness for this North Carolina basketball squad this season and was a big reason why the Tar Heels fell short of expectations despite a loaded guard room. With the addition of Veesaar, that problem should be mitigated heading into next season.
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