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#UNC postgame interviews with Henri Veesaar, Luka Bogavac and Jarin Stevenson
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0:00
I feel like we could have done a lot
0:01
better for sure. We didn't execute as a
0:04
team. We didn't take care of the ball as
0:05
much as we wanted to. Our energy was a
0:06
little bit flat. We caught the W, but I
0:09
think that was expected like we were
0:11
supposed to. I think we just didn't play
0:14
the level we need to and our energy and
0:16
effort level low game.
0:18
When Caleb's out of the game, does that
0:19
make it tough on you guys? And you guys
0:21
wrestle around and play with him out of
0:22
the lineup and it didn't go so well.
0:25
I feel like when Caleb is out, nothing
0:26
changes as long. He's an incredible
0:28
player. He will make plays that a lot of
0:29
people can't make, but I don't think
0:31
that changes any way of our game plan
0:32
and how we go about it.
0:34
How did the absence of Seth kind of
0:36
affect things tonight? How did it change
0:38
things?
0:40
Well, obviously having him out like it's
0:42
hard for the team cuz I feel like he's
0:44
the one returner being the leading voice
0:46
of the team. So we all feel really bad
0:48
for him and however like what happened
0:51
to him and we just kind of
0:54
came out flat. I think I was saying
0:56
because of it or we got to always bring
0:58
our effort and energy but I think did
1:00
move us a little bit down after that
1:02
happened and we came out flat and that's
1:04
on us. We got to be better for that.
1:06
What do you see for Bluca today? He
1:07
showed a lot of his arsenal, not just
1:09
shooting tonight.
1:10
Yeah, I mean Luca is a great passer.
1:12
He's good at fast. He got the rim today.
1:14
He got made some mis threes and he's a
1:17
really good player whenever he gets
1:18
there, especially in the pick and roll.
1:20
What happened to to Seth? I mean, we've
1:23
heard the story from other people, but
1:24
what did you see and what was it like?
1:26
Uh, well, for us, it's a no comment.
1:28
That's a question for him. Whenever
1:30
comes out, he's going to talk to the
1:31
media. It's not for us to answer the
1:33
question.
1:34
Gotcha.
1:40
Um, did their fouling? They fouled like
1:43
a lot. I imagine that was probably in
1:44
part of their game plan just to muck it
1:46
up. How how did that kind of affect you
1:47
guys?
1:47
I mean, yeah, they definitely mucked it
1:49
up a little bit. They were I think what
1:51
we shot like 49 free throws at the end
1:52
of the game. And I don't think I think
1:55
that's the most I've ever seen the team
1:56
shoot in college. So, that's a lot. And
1:59
we weren't making very many. I think we
2:02
just were missing free throws. I missed
2:04
a lot. That's something we got to be do
2:05
a better job at. But we can't let other
2:08
the way other people play affect us or
2:11
if there's a foul call, if there's no
2:12
call. I feel like on defensive end, we
2:16
we let the foul calls change our mood
2:19
and the way we play defense and that can
2:21
be a factor. They're going to call. It's
2:23
a like variable we can't control and we
2:26
just got to be better and control what
2:27
we can control for me because um I
2:30
couldn't contribute on the court for
2:32
guys also can like
2:35
uh just adjust myself for American
2:37
basketball. So uh I think with time it
2:40
just get better and better. So uh for
2:43
sure I think um but now when I on the
2:46
court I know that I can uh help us help
2:49
the team. So I'm really happy about
2:50
that.
2:50
How comfortable are you with everything?
2:52
I think I I have this space to be more
2:56
comfortable. I think that maybe I will
2:59
be nervous. So this is why I I will miss
3:02
a lot of shots tonight. So I think with
3:04
the time it will be just will just
3:07
better and for me I will feel more
3:08
comfortable because everything is new
3:10
for me. I just spend maybe 40 minutes
3:13
with the guys on the court together. So
3:15
just uh also for this style and this
3:18
pace I it's kind different from what I
3:21
played last year. So I mean um as I said
3:25
like just with the time on the court I
3:28
get just more of them.
3:31
Found a groove there for a while. You
3:33
think six of eight in the stretch and
3:35
you're finding teammates five assists.
3:38
Yeah. I mean, I just want to uh be the
3:41
threat for another another like not just
3:43
shoot me or get to the rim. I want to
3:45
also um help the guys to put in a good
3:49
spot about my passing ability. I think
3:51
that they can really uh contribute a lot
3:54
about that. So, I was just trying to be
3:56
better on this every single game.
3:57
Other than the fact that you're starting
3:58
now rather than coming off the bench,
4:00
how have things changed or how do things
4:01
change for you with Seth out?
4:04
I mean, for sure we should step out uh
4:06
because Seth is
4:09
really good defensive player like I
4:11
think his main quality is defense. He's
4:15
a really great player in both both end
4:17
of the four. So I mean we should step
4:20
out and um I think uh we will miss him
4:24
but I think we have enough u quality to
4:27
just continue with him and once he get
4:30
on the court it will be just we will
4:32
just get better with him for sure. Do
4:33
you feel like this is an opportunity for
4:35
you? Uh more minutes, high bigger role.
4:38
I mean, I just take what coach told me.
4:41
I I doesn't look like that. I don't look
4:44
like that. I mean, uh for me, every day,
4:47
I don't look who is the opponent. I just
4:48
try to um do my best and so no matter
4:52
conditioning, I just try to uh to to be
4:55
to be the best.
4:56
Thank you.
4:57
You had a lot of creative passes, too.
5:00
Can you take me through the You kind of
5:02
drove and did a lot kind of a hook pass
5:03
to Caleb for the dunk.
5:05
Yeah, it just um good for me that uh now
5:09
I play um now just with the time I get
5:12
more comfortable. So with the guys I
5:14
just try to find them and uh to know how
5:16
they play, what they like what they feel
5:19
comfortable on offense. So I think um I
5:23
can contribute a lot and also I can be
5:25
better on this on this for you. I know
5:28
that obviously you you've been here,
5:29
you've been at practice, you know the
5:30
plays, all that other stuff. What's the
5:32
process for you, I guess, kind of
5:33
finding your shots within the offense
5:35
and you know kind of I guess learning
5:37
the onc court connectivity in games
5:38
because I know obviously the exhibitions
5:40
you didn't get to play. So what's that?
5:42
Yeah. So I I think uh you know um
5:45
there's a lot of stuff also um I think u
5:50
I didn't play exhibition games so I
5:52
didn't have a time to get prepared for
5:53
the season but uh in my head it doesn't
5:58
matter now it is what it is so I just I
6:01
have to to adjust really quick to help
6:04
my teammates to lead them through
6:06
everything
6:08
with my experience so I think um I don't
6:11
have time to think a lot about that. I
6:12
just trying to to to be uh better every
6:15
single game.
6:16
Luka, what's it been like this whole
6:17
experience, you know, getting cleared
6:19
right before the season and everyone
6:21
really, you know, free Luca and get Luca
6:23
a chance, you know, what's this whole
6:24
experience been like?
6:26
I mean, uh there is a lot of extra stuff
6:29
extra stuff outside of basketball was in
6:32
my head. So I for some time I couldn't
6:35
be really relaxed and just uh think
6:37
about basketball because it was also my
6:40
uh lifestyle out of basketball.
6:42
Everything was changed. So um but now
6:44
I'm really happy to be uh to be in the
6:47
team can play and just trying to be here
6:50
just to trying to be win every single
6:52
game.
6:53
Did you feel like you finally got
6:54
comfortable tonight once some shots
6:56
started going in for you to kind of take
6:58
that pressure off of you? Yeah, I mean
7:00
uh I think from game to game I will just
7:03
uh get more comfortable and it will help
7:07
me and my team for sure.
7:08
How are you able to get to that comfort
7:09
level especially with six starter a lot
7:11
of expectations with you now as a
7:13
starter. So how are you able to get into
7:14
that groove after start like that?
7:16
I mean I don't think about that you know
7:18
I just take I think everybody just take
7:20
the the role what I have when I step on
7:23
the court. I don't think about the role
7:26
or stuff like that. just think about
7:29
my performance performance of my my my
7:31
team. That's all.
7:32
You take pride in your defense as well.
7:34
You showed a lot of the defense, V. Can
7:36
you talk about that part of your game?
7:38
Honestly, I think I could do better job
7:40
of tonight about defense. I think I
7:41
showed some good things, but I think
7:43
that I should I must play better defense
7:45
tonight.
7:46
And you really really have a lot of
7:48
point guard skills. Uh yes.
7:50
Do you think do you see yourself as a
7:52
point guard in the NBA? I mean uh maybe
7:56
not like point guard because there's a
7:58
lot of small guards who guard me but for
8:01
sure the guy who will uh can lead the
8:03
team about assist and stuff like that. I
8:06
I love almost honestly to play making to
8:08
create for others to put them in a good
8:10
spot. Uh so with the time I think um it
8:14
will just improve.
8:15
You started slow but heated up. I mean
8:17
what what got you going in the second
8:18
half? I mean I think I just this
8:21
adjustment about their defense. They
8:24
play zone. So we we didn't have a lot of
8:26
zone defense against us until now. So
8:29
for me I think we understand what they
8:32
what they will play and for sure they
8:35
slow us down the first the first half
8:37
and we just uh I think find rhythm in
8:40
the second half of that
8:41
for you when the shots start falling.
8:43
What's what's that feeling like in the
8:44
second? The shots for you start falling.
8:46
Yeah. I mean, I'm to be honest, I think
8:48
I missed a lot tonight and for sure I
8:52
just have this um like this push to
8:55
continue to play defense and to also
8:58
play offense.
8:58
What's your biggest adjustment from
9:00
European ball to college basketball?
9:02
I mean just um just I just want to
9:06
understand the philosophy of our coach
9:08
um which things he like on the court. Uh
9:12
I think I'm in process still in process
9:15
about everything. So it's kind of really
9:17
different because um I think there is
9:20
more u uh how court sets in where I
9:24
played before in Europe. So now it's
9:26
more like freedom more open court. So I
9:29
have to adjust and uh I think the games
9:31
don't come.
9:32
What part of the difference do you like?
9:35
I I mean uh I I like I like this freedom
9:38
also. I like uh you know when the crowd
9:41
we have fantastic crowd like amazing so
9:43
when they push us it's just amazing to
9:46
play and I think there is for us. What
9:49
were some of the non- basketball things
9:50
that you kind of had to adjust to coming
9:51
in from a different country and you know
9:53
what were some of the I guess cultural
9:55
adjustments?
9:56
I think uh a lot a lot like also um just
10:01
to go now to to be a student uh to go um
10:07
like just my outside life about
10:09
everything about everything. So now I
10:12
think I spend two months so I think I'm
10:15
really good. I know obviously you just
10:17
got I know obviously you love
10:18
basketball, you know, want and you want
10:20
to play it. What made you want to like
10:21
be a student as well and like kind of
10:23
have that on top of the basketball?
10:25
I think it's good also because uh you
10:27
improving class. So um it it also helps
10:30
you for the court. I think you you're
10:32
more focus more focus you have uh with
10:35
the just to follow in classes and stuff
10:37
like that. Um I think honestly it helps
10:41
you to like maintain your focus on the
10:43
work. So I think it's it's also working
10:45
for us.
10:46
Why did you pick your mother's still
10:47
here?
10:48
Sorry.
10:48
Is your mother still in town?
10:50
Yeah.
10:50
She's been here for a few weeks, right?
10:51
Yeah, for a few weeks.
10:52
So she was here. I imagine she was in
10:54
here when you checked in the first time
10:56
and got a massive ovation. What must
10:58
that have been like for her and for you?
11:01
Less than 3 months after you got here,
11:03
you got this crowd cheering for you,
11:04
cheering your name and giving you that
11:06
kind of ovation. What was that like for
11:07
you? And if you talk to her about it,
11:09
what was it like for her to experience
11:10
that with her son getting that kind of
11:12
ovation?
11:13
Yeah. I just we spoke every day about
11:16
our crowd, our fans. It's amazing. It's
11:19
just this short time how they love me,
11:21
how they show me the love. I just have
11:23
one thing in my head when I slept on the
11:25
court dress to give them back also
11:27
because they there are as I said six men
11:29
they push us and they will push us for
11:31
sure during whole year. So I just here
11:34
uh in my mind to give give back that
11:37
this love and um thanks thanks to to
11:39
them because I I saw everywhere and how
11:42
they love me they're treating my name.
11:44
So I really love this and I will try
11:46
every single game just to give back the
11:48
give them back something you know. Did
11:49
that catch you by surprise at all that
11:51
you had that kind of reaction? All the
11:53
new cos were
11:54
I mean I mean just I was surprised by
11:57
this short time again that they they
11:59
really like they love me like I'm here a
12:02
couple years. So I just try to you know
12:05
uh give them back. they they know why
12:08
they come on on our games just to give
12:11
them this taste of uh winning and uh I I
12:15
just try to bring them every every
12:17
single game they'd be like packed. So
12:19
for me it's also one one of my goal for
12:21
this year.
12:22
Why did you pick Carolina and how much
12:24
did you know about Carolina when this
12:26
whole process started?
12:27
I think also Cor Davis has this big role
12:30
about my coming here. Uh I love what he
12:33
told me about the how they play and
12:35
everything also about the tradition
12:37
about the players who been here who been
12:39
playing. So for me it's also um just to
12:42
be the part of this amazing program and
12:44
just to have my mark here.
12:47
So you knew about the program before
12:48
for sure but not like in I didn't know
12:51
that the the crowd and fan base is like
12:53
this but now I'm just more happy and and
12:56
like just love to to play every single
12:58
game. Did anything um maybe let's say
13:01
like the atmosphere at the Kansas game
13:03
for instance kind of take you back or or
13:05
surprise you like what stood out maybe
13:07
the most that
13:08
I mean I come from the countries where
13:09
basketball is everything so honestly I I
13:13
watched I didn't play in atmosphere like
13:15
that but I was really close to the game
13:17
that atmosphere was maybe uh more
13:20
crazier so um it was it was amazing I
13:23
think every single game is amazing
13:25
atmosphere never mind if it's Kansas or
13:27
some other team but I just try to bring
13:29
the people to like to pack the arena
13:32
every single game.
13:33
Does it help you to have
13:34
That'll be a good followup question.
13:36
After you play Duke the first time.
13:37
Oh yeah. Does it help you to have you
13:40
know two other European guys on the team
13:41
with Ivon and Henry to help you with
13:42
kind of the adjustment?
13:43
For sure. Ivan it's his second year
13:45
here. So he knows a little bit how
13:47
things go. So for me just like first
13:50
month or second it was just you know I I
13:53
was just asking everything about you
13:55
know uh the practices the style how we
13:57
practice it everything is kind of
13:59
different where I played before in I
14:01
think in general in Europe. So I think
14:03
now I feel more comfortable and I with
14:06
the time I'm just getting
14:07
I know you're new to college basketball
14:09
but you have some of the most overall
14:10
basketball experience on this team. So
14:12
how do you utilize that
14:13
like that getting the energy up bringing
14:15
energy as a leader that's important too.
14:17
So just finding different ways to help
14:19
the team out is going to be important.
14:21
I'm sorry you probably asked this
14:22
before, but it looked like it was pretty
14:23
painful when you hit the basket
14:25
standard. Don, did you think it was a
14:28
devastating injury at that point?
14:30
Uh, I thought at first I thought it was
14:32
pretty bad, but it wasn't really the the
14:35
um the back of the goal. It was mainly
14:36
just me twisting my ankle on the floor
14:38
and then he kind of like fell on it. But
14:40
yeah, I got in with Doug and I've been
14:42
getting better and I feel a lot better
14:44
now. How how has the dynamic change with
14:47
Luca instead of Seth in the starting
14:49
lineup?
14:50
Um yeah, I think Luca has a lot to bring
14:52
to this team. Um very dynamic player.
14:55
He's going to do a lot. He'll make
14:56
plays, shoot the three ball. Um you just
14:59
get different looks to the defense
15:02
getting ready to start
15:03
and yeah, he's definitely going to be
15:05
like yeah bring a different dynamic than
15:06
Seth. So you feel feel like I mean Seth
15:09
usually got the best player on the other
15:11
team as a defensive assignment and now
15:14
that's seemed to go to you. Are you
15:16
welcoming that those challenges?
15:18
Yeah, of course. Um I welcome that
15:20
challenge. Um again just trying to do
15:22
whatever I need to do to help the team
15:23
win whether it's locking down their
15:25
their best player or you know getting
15:27
rebounds or knocking down open threes or
15:29
just doing whatever whatever it takes.
15:31
Have you also all al always been that
15:34
dogged under the boards? I mean first
15:36
Yeah,
15:37
the first few games you've been crazy.
15:38
Yeah. Yeah, they emphasize it and then
15:41
I've been in with coach Lebo. He told me
15:43
everything that comes off the rim is
15:45
just a pass to me. So, I've been using
15:46
that mentality trying to get get boards
15:49
and you just help the team win.
15:51
Just an assist by the other player, huh?
15:52
Yeah.
15:54
How's uh how's Seth doing individually?
15:57
The top.