Who will be Michael Malone’s starting center for UNC? With talented big man Henri Veesaar departing Chapel Hill and choosing to pursue the NBA Draft rather than return for another season, everyone is thinking about that.
The Tar Heels will have a huge hole on both sides of the floor as a result, but their recent signings of Cade Bennerman and Maxim Logue will help with depth. However, losing Veesaar is a huge setback, and Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated seems to believe that it might prevent the Heels from making it to the Big Dance the following season. Michael Malone would suffer greatly from this:
UNC losing Henri Veesaar to the NBA Draft is no doubt a big blow for Michael Malone
Sweeney and other basketball commentators’ concerns about UNC’s future are understandable. It was one thing to lose Veesaar, but it will be difficult to recover from losing Caleb Wilson from the previous season’s squad. Having said that, Malone has been working hard on the gateway.
The Tar Heels have received transfer commitments from Terrence Brown, Neoklis Avdalas, and Matt Able in addition to Logue and Bennerman. North Carolina boasts a Top 5 transfer class for the 2026 cycle because of those fresh commitments.
That is undoubtedly a fantastic beginning for Malone and his Chapel Hill endeavors. But once more, it’s bad news for all parties concerned that Veesaar won’t be back in the center of the paint next year. Malone’s situation is further complicated by the transfer process’s advanced stage.
Malone and his team are apparently searching for foreign playmakers to help make up for this setback. Sayon Keita, Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje, and other players have been connected to the ACC team.
Veesaar won’t be replaced by a single player; instead, a solid rotation will be required. Adding Logue and Bennerman has helped thus far, but more needs to be done. It’s understandable why Sweeney is skeptical of this team going ahead, particularly if Veesaar is selected in the first round, so we can only hope for a game-changing acquisition.
