By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Henri Veesaar didn’t hide his feelings Sunday night.
They were apparent in his postgame comments and in his play as No. 16 UNC beat Georgetown 81–61. Every rebound, every finish, every defensive stand came with visible emotion from the junior from Estonia.
Veesaar’s stat line told one story — 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. But his body language told another. Asked about the animated gestures and fiery demeanor, he made it clear what fueled him.
“I want to win. I know they want to win,” Veesaar said. “They know I’m not mad at them. And just love for the game, love for the team. We all want to compete and win. That’s about it. I feel like emotions are high during the game, because you have to do a good job to win the game.”
Was it anger? He shook his head.
“I feel like it wasn’t even playing angry, just playing with emotion and heart, just having passion for the game. That’s about it,” Veesaar said.
That passion surfaced in the first half when UNC’s grip on the game loosened.
“We kind of got a little loose at some point,” Veesaar said. “We went on a good run, and then we kind of gave it all back, getting stops because we were throwing the ball out of bounds, turning it over, and that’s just kind of unacceptable.”
The frustration turned into fuel. Veesaar attacked the glass relentlessly and finished plays with authority, often punctuating them with emotion. He said the energy came from a simple place — accountability and urgency.
“I feel like just not letting the foot off the gas,” he said. “In the Navy game, we went up and then played very loosely, turned over the ball, gave them a lot of offensive rebounds. I feel like this game, we did a good job of keeping our foot on the gas and just not ever giving them the chance to get a comeback, just keep increasing the lead. Keep increasing the lead, play by play. Get a stop, score, stop.”
For Veesaar, the emotion wasn’t just about one game. It was about growth. He pointed back to the Michigan State loss as a turning point.
“That’s the game where we got punked,” he said. “They were the more physical team. They were more controlled. They kind of got into the paint, however they wanted to. They were controlled. They were playing, dictating the game, not us. So, I think that was big for us to kind of assert our will. And the games after that, realizing what we need to do to win games, not play what they want us to give us.”
Sunday night, Veesaar showed what that lesson looks like in action: passion paired with production, emotion channeled into execution. And for North Carolina, that combination was impossible to miss.
Photo courtey of UNC Athletics Communications
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