CINCINNATI – Henri Veesaar walked out of a Fifth Third Arena loading dock Saturday and into the same mid-20s temperatures that were also greeting his hometown of Tallinn, Estonia that afternoon.
A snow and ice storm was forecasted to arrive soon, too.
Veesaar grinned.
“I gotta say,” Veesaar said. “I’m happy to be a little bit cold.”
You could say he felt at home. Free from the mild climate of many Pac-12 stops while playing in the Big 12 this season, Veesaar also appears to be finally feeling similarly comfortable on the court more than two years into his Arizona Wildcats career.
After a freshman season in which he fell out of the rotation and a sophomore season missed because of a preseason elbow injury, Veesaar’s production is increasing just as the Wildcats’ frontcourt needs it the most.
While still coming off the bench, Veesaar has averaged 19.8 minutes in his past six games and, over two Big 12 games so far, is averaging 11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 blocks.
Arizona’s Henri Veesaar reacts following the team’s win over Cincinnati on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Cincinnati.
“I feel like the player I should be,” Veesaar said. “I feel like I always had that confidence. My freshman year was kind of shaky. Last year I wasn’t able to play due to injury. But now I definitely feel great about playing, how the team is doing.”
In the UA’s 72-67 win at Cincinnati on Saturday, Veesaar came off the bench to provide eight points and eight rebounds – in a game when post starters Tobe Awaka and Trey Townsend combined for the same amounts.
Plus Veesaar added four assists over his 26 minutes, folding it all into a plus-minus rating of 20.
The plus-minus rating – the difference in scoring when a player is in the game – sometimes needs context in college basketball. But that big a number demands attention regardless.
“I mean, that matters,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said. “I don’t know the stats in the moment of the game, but you feel him as a coach, and when the guy that’s helping you move the ball and handling the pressure, you kind of roll with that guy.”
Arizona forward Henri Veesaar reacts after scoring during the second half against Cincinnati, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Cincinnati.
Lloyd said that guy could also be Awaka or Townsend on any other day but that wasn’t the case on Saturday. Townsend was able to make only 2 of 6 from two-point range and Awaka was 1 for 3 while committing three fouls that included a flagrant personal foul against Aziz Bandaogo when his elbow came down on the Cincinnati center.
“He had a couple of tough fouls,” Lloyd said of Awaka. “But Tobe has been getting better and better and better. His feel for the game, his understanding what we’re trying to do, is getting better and better every day as well.”
While Awaka (Tennessee) and Townsend (Oakland) are both veteran transfers adjusting to Arizona, Veesaar has had plenty of time in the background to prepare for this sort of ascent.
While his playing time dropped significantly during Pac-12 play during his freshman season of 2022-23, Veesaar entered last season positioned to make the rotation. Then he injured his elbow in a preseason golf cart accident and redshirted the season – but rejoined the Wildcats in practice halfway through the season to make progress behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, he spent plenty of time working through it all with Lloyd.
“Henri’s getting better and better and Henri knows this: I’ve stuck with him through thick and thin,” Lloyd said. “I’ve always been a huge Henry Veesaar fan. He and I have always had great conversations. And you know what? He’s finally getting his chance.”
Like Arizona players often do, Veesaar credited his teammates for making it easier by moving the ball and setting him up in good position to make plays. He said it was also fun to play in a true road environment Saturday at Cincinnati, reminiscent of playing games with Lithuanian national teams against rival countries or when he played for Spain’s Real Madrid youth club before arriving at Arizona.
“You kind of feel (like) the villain,” Veesaar said. “When you’re playing for a national team, or with Real Madrid, when you play against a small team in a small town, they’re definitely rooting for you to lose. They’re not even wanting the other team to win. They just want you to lose. When you’re used to playing this way, it’s feels great.”
Arizona forward Henri Veesaar (13) dunks over Cincinnati forward Tyler Betsey (14) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Cincinnati.
At the same time, Veesaar appears to also be drawing from some inner confidence he’s built on the court.
“I wouldn’t say this game, but just in the last couple games, I’ve gotten more minutes and played better,” Veesaar said. “I’m just feeling that ‘you can do it.’ That helps.”
Veesaar’s playing time has often stretched into starter’s minutes, especially with sophomore center Motiejus Krivas out for the season with an ankle injury, even though Veesaar has yet to start a single game in his UA career.
Veesaar says everyone wants to start, though he’s found some advantages in not doing so.
“Coming off the bench, you can kind of see how the game is going,” Veesaar said. “You can pick up on how the defense is guarding the five-ball screens, the four-ball screens. It just helps you read the game.”
Although he’s only a freshman, Carter Bryant is already adjusting in the same way, while also playing more often at power forward because of Krivas’ absence. Bryant started three games in the nonconference season but has so far proven more productive off the bench, adding 14 points and four rebounds on Saturday against the Bearcats.
Veesaar is “getting some game confidence, and so is Carter,” Lloyd said Saturday. “Game confidence is a huge deal. You get better in workouts, you get better in practice, but to be able to do in games really kind of cements it.”
