North Carolina Center Henri Veesaar Entering NBA Draft

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina big man Henri Veesaar will forgo his senior season and enter the NBA Draft, he informed the UNC staff late Thursday evening, sources confirm. CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander first reported Veesaar’s decision.

In his lone season in Chapel Hill, the Tallinn, Estonia native averaged 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds — both second on the team — earning Second-Team All-ACC honors and becoming the fourth transfer in program history to earn all-conference recognition at UNC. After failing to record a double-double during his time at Arizona, Veesaar posted 15 this season for the Tar Heels.

Veesaar also ranked second on the team in three-point percentage (42.6) while knocking down the third-most triples (40). He became the first player in ACC history to average at least one made three-pointer per game while shooting 60 percent from the field.

Veesaar appeared in all but two of North Carolina’s games this season — missing contests against Pitt and NC State due to illness and a lower-body injury — and scored in double figures in 30 of 31 appearances.

“I love the school, I love the people, I love the university, they’ve given me so much,” Veesaar said after UNC’s season-ending loss to VCU.

Veesaar is projected as a fringe first-round prospect, ranking No. 36 in ESPN’s latest mock draft and No. 32 in The Athletic’s.

In UNC’s two postseason losses, Veesaar took his game t o a new level. In the Tar Heels’ ACC Tournament loss to Clemson, he recorded career highs in both points (28) and rebounds (17), shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range. In UNC’s season-ending loss to VCU, he added 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

Veesaar transferred to Chapel Hill after spending his first three collegiate seasons at Arizona, redshirting his sophomore year due to injury. He averaged 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds last season in Tucson.