On Friday, North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar announced his decision to enter the 2026 NBA Draft, with no intention of removing his name from the process.

Hours after the news broke, the 6-foot-11, 224-pound center shared a heartfelt goodbye to Chapel Hill and the Tar Heel faithful.

What Veesaar Said

• “This journey didn’t happen alone,” Veesaar said in a statement. “To my family – thank you for every sacrifice, every late night, every moment you believed in me before anyone else did. To my friends, teammates and coaches – thank you for being part of the grind and helping shape me into who I am today.”

Veesaar transferred to North Carolina last offseason after spending two years at Arizona. In his lone campaign with the Tar Heels, the junior center averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 60.8 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from three-point range. Veesaar spoke on the impact the university has made on him.

• “The University of North Carolina – thank you for the memories, the lessons and the brotherhood.  It’s something I’ll carry with me forever. I’m proud to say I’m taking the next step and declaring for the NBA Draft. Thank you to everyone who’s been part of the journey.”

North Carolina’s season abruptly ended in the first round of the NCAA against VCU. That did not appear to be the end result, as the Tar Heels held a 19-point lead halfway through the second half. Veesaar, who led the team with 26 points and 10 rebounds, shared his love for North Carolina, which should have been a sign that he was leaning towards entering the upcoming NBA draft.

• “I love the school, I love the people, I love the university, they’ve given me so much,” Veesaar said.

Overall Thoughts

Veesaar declaring for the draft is a monumental loss for head coach Michael Malone and the Tar Heels heading into next season. Now, Malone and his staff must adjust on the fly and plan accordingly. With the transfer portal closing on April 21, the options have dwindled significantly, putting North Carolina’s brass in a serious bind.

While the Tar Heels would love to bring in someone like Arizona State’s Massamba Diop, who was dominant rim protector and effective offensive piece in his freshman season in 2025. The 7-foot-1, 230-pound center does not possess the shooting ability that Veesaar has in his repertoire, but Diop still averaged 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 56.9 percent from the field.

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina’s largest craft beer festival returned to downtown Raleigh, continuing on Saturday, bringing thousands of visitors and dozens of breweries together for the second day of the two-day event.

Organizers said Brewgaloo was expected to draw about 50,000 people, with nearly 80 breweries from across the state offering samples.

The festival began Friday evening with a ceremonial keg tapping, followed by a block party. Attendees enjoyed unlimited three-ounce samples, including limited releases, barrel-aged beers, and sours.

Saturday’s street festival ran from noon to 8 p.m. along Fayetteville Street, featuring dozens of breweries, food trucks, vendors and two live music stages. Although some much-needed rain cut the iconic Brewgaloo festival short, many called the festival a massive success.

“It’s nice to be able to see a lot of people from different areas and a lot of different breweries in one location. All I have to do is buy a ticket and I get to support local brewers,” said Raleigh resident Ryan Walker.

Festivalgoers were able to sample more than 350 craft beverages by redeeming drink tickets for either a pint or a three-ounce pour.

Admission to Brewgaloo was free, but tickets were required for beer sampling.

This was the fifth year that Goldsboro Brew Works participated in the festival.

“There’s double the amount of kegs that we normally bring, so here’s hoping,” said Zachary Fein, one of the owners of Goldsboro Brew Works. “Every single time we get people after Brewgaloo, we get them wanting to buy kegs, we get them coming to the taproom on the way to the beach.

“We’re remote, we’re 45 minutes down 70 from here, we’re east,” Fein said. “A lot of these folks have never heard of us before and it’s really kind of great for us to get our name out.”

This year’s event came amid amplified concerns about safety downtown. In the past few weeks, several people were stabbed during a brawl on Fayetteville Street and a man was seriously injured in a shooting in Glenwood South.

“It’s always concerning to see any incident in Raleigh,” Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell said. “We are doing several things working with our police chief. Reallocating resources based on data and crime patterns. I think we’ve found that this is going to be one of the areas.”

According to Cowell, the city council is also exploring adding more police officers in the upcoming budget.

For Brewgaloo specifically, Raleigh police had barricades and barriers in place to protect the tens of thousands who were expected to enjoy the festivities this weekend.

“Overall, Raleigh’s a safe place,” Cowell said. “I think when there’s a lot more people is when we actually have fewer incidents because you’ve got so much activity, eyes on people, feet on the sidewalks.”

This year’s event also came on the heels of recent controversy involving Shop Local Raleigh, the group that organizes Brewgaloo. Executive director Jennifer Martin apologized after making an anonymous social media comment, stating “there is “there’s no such thing as a transgender son.”

The backlash led to the creation of a separate event, the “Y’all Means All” North Carolina Beer Festival, which is scheduled for Saturday at the same time as Brewgaloo. More than 16 breweries are expected to participate in that event, hosted by Raleigh Brewing Company, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the LGBT Center of Raleigh.

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina Central University (NCCU) will host a groundbreaking event celebrating Black excellence.

The HBCU Dope Art Tour kicks off on Saturday, April 25. This initiative, led by NCCU alumnus Rahiem James, is a nationwide tour themed “Painting the Legacy of Black Excellence.”

It aims to honor all 110 Historically Black Colleges and Universities through hyper-realistic artwork representing their mascots.

“It’s really impactful how art can endure over time and foster conversations that may be difficult to have on a daily basis,” said curator and artist Rahiem James.

The art show will feature a hyper-realistic painting of the NCCU Eagle, and a gallery designed to spark conversations about the legacy of NCCU and Durham.

The launch event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at the Hayti Heritage Center.