UNC Awaiting Henri Veesaar's Return to Practice and Games

The seven-foot center has missed the last two games due to a lower-body injury and the flu.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

UNC head coach Hubert Davis provided an update on the status of starting center Henri Veesaar, who has missed the last two games due to a lower-body injury and the flu. Davis said Veesaar is making progress but is still being held out of practice, and it remains unclear when he will be able to return to the court.

Why it matters

Veesaar is UNC's second-leading scorer and rebounder, so his absence has been felt by the team. The Tar Heels have struggled without him, matching their lowest scoring output of the season in their latest loss to NC State.

The details

Veesaar suffered the lower-body injury in UNC's loss to Miami on Feb. 10. He briefly exited that game but returned shortly after. However, he has missed the last two games against Pitt and NC State. A team spokesman confirmed that Veesaar is still being held out of practice, despite earlier comments from Davis suggesting he was nearing a return. Davis said Veesaar is making progress with both the injury and the flu, but it's unclear when he will be able to practice and play again.

  • Veesaar suffered the lower-body injury in UNC's Feb. 10 loss to Miami.
  • Veesaar missed the games against Pitt on Feb. 18 and NC State on Feb. 21.

The players

Henri Veesaar

UNC's starting center who is the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder.

Hubert Davis

The head coach of the UNC men's basketball team.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“His outlook is day to day. Every day he's getting better. In regards to the lower extremities, he's getting better, also with his flu. He's making huge strides every day, and every day we'll evaluate and see when he's available to practice. Then, when he's able to practice, see when he's able to play.”

— Hubert Davis, Head Coach (on3.com)

“He's getting a lot better, today was a huge jump in his improvement. He had an injury in his lower extremities, and then also had the flu, and it was a major jump in both of those today. It's still day-to-day, we'll have to evaluate (Tuesday) if he's available for NC State, but I was really encouraged by the improvement in both areas today.”

— Hubert Davis, Head Coach (on3.com)

What’s next

The next update on Veesaar's status will come on Friday, when North Carolina releases its initial availability report ahead of Saturday's game against Syracuse.

The takeaway

Veesaar's absence has been felt by the Tar Heels, who have struggled without their starting center and second-leading scorer. UNC will continue to monitor Veesaar's progress and hope to have him back on the court as soon as possible.