Henri Veesaar Shares Thoughts After ETSU Victory

The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated East Tennessee State 77-58 on Tuesday night at the Dean E. Smith Center. It was a battle in the first half as East Tennessee State kept it a competitive game with several offensive rebounds, which led to nine second-chance points.

North Carolina would eventually pull away in the second half, and there was one player who had his fingerprints all over this contest. That would be Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar, who totaled 26 points and eight rebounds while shooting 10-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, Veesaar discussed his performance and what went right for the Tar Heels on Tuesday night.

Veesaar's Thoughts

Dec 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) with the ball as USC Upstate Spartans forward Jafeth Martinez (12) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"I feel like we just had overall great team ball movement in being able to move the ball side to side," Veesaar said. "We were finding easy pocket passes, and with me being strong with the ball around the rim, finishing towards the basket, and not leaning away. I think that made a huge impact that let me be efficient."

As mentioned, the 6-foot-11, 224-pound center missed one shot all night. The first half was a difficult period for North Carolina, as East Tennessee State was breathing down the Tar Heels' neck in the first 20 minutes. Veesaar explained what the message was at halftime.

Dec 16, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) shoots during the second half against the ETSU Buccaneers at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

"I feel like we let them hang in for the first 16 minutes, and then we kind of pushed the start button, turned it up a little notch, and then we just kept going," Veesaar said. "At halftime, we spoke about how it's our game. We dictate how we play; they're not dictating us."

So, kind of just asserting our will and the way we want to play was a huge part, because they played slow, and they were kind of trying to muddy up the game and limit the possession," Veesaar continued. "So, every shot, every rebound, is more valuable, because you might be if you give up offensive rebounds, they're going to be on offense for a whole minute, not 30 seconds."

Dec 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) reacts with forward Jarin Stevenson (15) after the game at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

In the last two games, it appears energy and lack of concentration have been North Carolina's main problems. Veesaar went into depth about the team having to create its own energy.

"We're always going to try to have the best effort we can for 40 minutes," Veesaar said. "But sometimes we're going to hit adversity, and things are sometimes not going to go the way we want."

"We just stayed together as a group and worked together – didn't get separated, didn't get in our heads, and just played team basketball," Veesaar continued. "And that's it. On defense, just being disciplined – staying down, being aggressive, and just communicating and talking. And if we do that, we're going to be good."

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