Henri Veesaar Controls Paint, Owns Boards In Career-Best Night

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Luka Bogavac drove baseline late in the second half against St. Bonaventure’s defense, and as he drew defenders in, he found his reliable 7-foot big man waiting around the rim. 

Henri Veesaar moved away from the block to get out of Bogavac’s way, then took the pass from Bogavac and punched in a two-handed dunk over Andrew Osasuyi. Veesaar’s teammates all tapped their heads in celebration as he swung his way off the rim.

And as he dunked the ball home, he completed the best individual performance of his three-year career.

Veesaar set career-highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday’s 85-70 victory against St. Bonaventure in Fort Myers. He scored 16 of those 24 points in the second half, helping to guide North Carolina to a 6-0 start. Veesaar shot 9-14 against the St. Bonaventure defense inside Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

“I feel like as a team, we were just moving the ball well, and my teammates were finding me and easy layups were kind of giving me a little advantage, and I was able to take care of that and use that,” Veesaar said after the game. “Obviously, we were getting some good shots as well. There were some short rebounds, I was able to easily get a couple of offensive rebounds and put it back.”

Offensively, Veesaar pulled out all the stops against the Bonnies. Most of his shots came on dunks and layups, but the very first field goal Veesaar connected on was a 3-pointer from a Bogavac pass. In the second half, he used his touch for post hook shots and even a midrange floater from the free throw area.

Veesaar’s aggressive play on the boards, though, went a long way for North Carolina. St. Bonaventure out-hustled UNC when going for rebounds and played like the hungrier team in the first half. The Bonnies hauled in 11 offensive rebounds on Tuesday because of their activity on the boards, but Veesaar held up well on the glass, consistently securing misses with two hands and snatching them away from others.

“I feel like they were a very scrappy team,” Veesaar said. “I had a steal almost, and then they kind of poked it away. So just making sure that I had it with two hands and secured it, and maybe try not to go as quick and just make sure we had it and slow it down a little bit.”

Veesaar was tasked with matching up St. Bonaventure’s Frank Mitchell throughout the night. Though he had the height advantage over the 6-foot-8 Mitchell, Veesaar had to work against his 270-pound build on the defensive end. Mitchell ended the game with 18 points and reached 50% shooting late, but he had to work for his points against UNC’s defense, with Veesaar playing a significant role.

The two battled inside, and Veesaar held up well.

“It was two big men, we both competed,” Mitchell said before UNC’s media availability. “We both went at each other, and it’s good basketball. So credit goes to him. He’s a hell of a player. He’s a pro, he’s gonna have a great season.”

Veesaar is now up to three career double-doubles, all of which have come in his six games with North Carolina. Veesaar is the big man UNC needed to secure going into the transfer portal last season, and he’s delivered Hubert Davis & Co. so far. He’s averaging 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds, both second on the team to Caleb Wilson.

The UNC-heavy crowd in Fort Myers cheered on Veesaar as he was the last player to sub out of Tuesday’s game. His play set the tone and helped catalyze a stronger second half for the Tar Heels in their first game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

“I thought we were much stronger and handled the physicality much better in the second half,” Davis said. “I think we had 12 points in the paint in the first half. We ended up with 36. I felt around the rim, we were dunking everything. We were going strong. If we didn’t finish strong or dunk, we got fouled and got to the free throw line. So I felt like we handled the physicality much better in the second half.”