By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina couldn’t lure a top-line center last offseason but already has one 11 days after the transfer portal opened this offseason.
Former Arizona center Henri Veesaar (pronounced “VAY-sar”), a 7–0, 235-pound Estonian who visited the UNC campus on Wednesday two days after entering the portal, will transfer to Carolina, according to multiple reports, first reported Friday by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. He has two seasons of remaining eligibility.
The next mission for UNC is to get a top point guard.
Veesaar, who enjoyed a breakout season after missing the 2023–24 season with an elbow injury suffered in a golf cart accident, scored double-figure points 16 times during his redshirt sophomore season, including 13 in the 100–93 Sweet 16 loss to Duke, to go along with six rebounds and a block.
He averaged 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 20.8 minutes per game and collected 22 points and four blocks, both career highs, in a 113–110 win in the home finale against rival Arizona State.
Veesaar, who shot 32.7% from 3-point range last season and scored multiple 3s four times, took advantage of the chance given to him when center Motiejus Krivas suffered a season-ending ankle injury eight games into the season.
After the team’s season-ending loss, Veesaar praised his teammate, former UNC star guard Caleb Love.
“In the tournament, I was struggling; he talked to me,” Veesaar said. “He came up to me after I missed the free throw because he made me practice free throws after that game. After that, he just came up to me, ‘Hey, we worked way too hard, you got this.’ After that, I didn’t miss a free throw; I made seven in a row.
“I just want to set the record straight,” Veesaar said. “For any scouts or anybody who thinks he’s not a good teammate, he’s the best person. Everybody loves him on the team. There’s no problems with him. The best person we have.”
Before joining Arizona, he played three seasons for the Real Madrid youth program.
At age 17, he averaged 16.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 2.6 assists playing for Estonia in the FIBA U18 European Challengers event and was the youngest player to play for the Estonian senior national team in 2021.
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–7 | 190 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — W | G | 6–9 | 215 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 196 |
| 22 | Junior | Alexandros Samodurov | C | 6–11 | 212 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 174 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | F | 6–10 | 215 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z | G | 6–3 | 193 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 195 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May, Jorge Sanz, and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 | Pacific |
Non-conference schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| January | ||
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
ACC opponents
Home and away: Duke and Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Don’t play: Clemson
Photo via arizonawildcats.com
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