UNC Awaiting Henri Veesaar’s Return to Practice and Games

RALEIGH, N.C. — In the aftermath of Tuesday’s loss to NC State, Hubert Davis offered an update on the status of his starting center Henri Veesaar that managed to provide both reasons for optimism and pessimism.

“His outlook is day to day. Every day he’s getting better,” Davis said. “In regards to the lower extremities, he’s getting better, also with his flu. He’s making huge strides every day, and every day we’ll evaluate and see when he’s available to practice. Then, when he’s able to practice, see when he’s able to play.”

A team spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that the seven-footer is, in fact, being held out of practice.

Davis’ comments were notable, considering his remarks earlier in the week suggested Veesaar was nearing a return rather than still being held out of practice.

“He’s getting a lot better, today was a huge jump in his improvement,” Davis said on his weekly radio show Monday night. “He had an injury in his lower extremities, and then also had the flu, and it was a major jump in both of those today. It’s still day-to-day, we’ll have to evaluate (Tuesday) if he’s available for NC State, but I was really encouraged by the improvement in both areas today.”

Whatever strides Veesaar made weren’t enough for the Tar Heels’ second-leading scorer to return to practice, nor suit up for Tuesday’s contest with NC State. 

Veesaar was listed as questionable on UNC’s initial availability report Monday night before being ruled out two hours prior to tipoff Tuesday, in accordance with ACC policy. 

It marked his second consecutive absence after being a late scratch Saturday against Pitt. 

On Saturday, Veesaar was in uniform and participated in the opening segment of warmups before ultimately being ruled out. Illness was said to be the primary concern that afternoon, while a team spokesman confirmed Tuesday’s absence was solely due to the lower-body injury.

Veesaar was in street clothes Tuesday, making any visual evaluation impossible. Against Pitt, however, the only visible treatment was a strip of kinesiology tape running the length of his left Achilles.

The lower-extremity issue traces back to an injury Veesaar suffered in UNC’s Feb. 10 loss to Miami in Coral Gables. He briefly exited during the first half with trainer Doug Halverson but returned less than three minutes later and did not make another trip to the locker room. Sources indicated to Inside Carolina that Veesaar received further evaluation following the defeat.

Across Veesaar’s two-game absence, Jarin Stevenson and Zayden High have been forced to shoulder the load in the Tar Heel frontcourt. The pair has combined for 60 points and 39 rebounds during that stretch, but Veesaar’s absence has been evident.

The Arizona transfer ranks second on the Tar Heels in scoring (16.4), rebounding (9.0) and 3-point percentage (44.8). Veesaar has recorded 13 double-doubles in 24 appearances this season.

Tuesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina matched its lowest scoring output of the season (58) and was outscored in the paint, 40-28.

The next update on Veesaar will come Friday, when North Carolina releases its initial availability report ahead of Saturday’s 1 p.m. matchup with Syracuse.