ARIZONA BASKETBALL
Arizona Wildcats land Estonian big man Henri Veesaar
May 25, 2022, 8:57 AM | Updated: 9:00 am
Henri Veesaar, #13 of Real Madrid in action during the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Championship game between U18 Stellazzurra Rome v U18 Real Madrid at Anadolu Efes Sports Club Facilities on March 21, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images)
(Photo by Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images)
Henri Veesaar, a 6-foot-10 big from Estonia, confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday that he has committed to play for the Arizona Wildcats as part of the 2022 class.
Eurohoops first reported his decision on Friday.
Veesaar made a strong impression at the FIBA U18 European Challengers last summer by averaging 16.2 points with 11.6 rebounds in five contests for Estonia. He also led the tournament in blocks with 19.
“I believe in Tommy Lloyd’s philosophy and how he coaches,” Veesaar told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “I’ve had my eyes on playing college basketball for some time now, and I believe that Arizona is a great fit to make a jump between youth and professional sport.”
On tape, the 18-year-old shows the ability to run the floor and make plays for himself and teammates. He also hit 41.7% of his three-pointers in 2020-21 with Real Madrid’s U18 club.
Henri Veesaar vs 🇵🇹, FIBA U18 European Challenge 2021: 21 Points/ 18 Rebounds/ 3 Assists/ 2 Blocks/ 2 Steals/ 0 Turnovers pic.twitter.com/5jl22ZfnVU
— Martim Figueiredo (@martimfs) August 9, 2021
More recently, he scored 17 points with 10 rebounds and three blocks in a Ljubljana Tournament victory for Real Madrid U18 on April 16.
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Eight of Arizona’s 16 rostered players last season were born outside the United States, and Lloyd continues to add talent from different parts of the world.
Veesaar joins a class with Perry High School big Dylan Anderson and Filip Borovicanin, a 6-foot-8 forward from Serbia, according to 247Sports.
Key returners include forward Azuolis Tubelis from Lithuania, center and Mali native Oumar Ballo along with Veesaar’s fellow Estonian, Kerr Kriisa.
6’11 Estonian Henri Veesaar was arguably the best NBA prospect at the FIBA U18 European Challengers, filling up the stat-sheet with dunks, 3s, rebounds, assists and blocks. The Real Madrid big man was playing up a year as a 17-year old and has made a big jump this past season. pic.twitter.com/kHhpKh6Jic
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 10, 2021
Three key members Arizona’s 2021-22 Pac-12 championship team entered the NBA Draft: center Christian Koloko and wings Bennedict Mathurin and Dalen Terry.
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