When former UNC star Caleb Love helped convince Henri Veesaar to join the Tar Heels, it shows something deeper about the former guard’s lasting connection to Chapel Hill.
The fact that Love, who used to play for the same team, publicly supported his old program tells a lot about his genuine attitude towards North Carolina basketball.
How Caleb Love Steered Henri Veesaar to North Carolina
The relationship between Love and Veesaar began at Arizona, where they were teammates for two seasons. When the 7-foot Estonian center entered the transfer portal this spring, he naturally turned to Love for advice about potentially joining UNC.
Locked on Tar Heels podcast host Isaac Shade analyzed Veesaar’s comments about Love’s influence. When Veesaar was asked about whether he talked to Love about North Carolina during his recruitment, he responded: “Yeah, they had a lot of influence with it.”
Veesaar explained his conversations with Love in detail. “I asked Caleb what he thought about the program and his relationships with the coaches and how he thought I, Henri, would fit,” he said during the podcast interview.
The most telling revelation came when Veesaar shared Love’s specific advice. “Everything he said checked all the boxes for me. He said it was a great place to be and that they’re definitely going to push me and you’re going to get better by going there,” Veesaar noted.
During his first UNC press conference, Veesaar confirmed these sentiments again. “It had a lot of influence,” he said when asked about conversations with Love. “I’m very close with Caleb and just from last year, I kind of asked him what he thought about this program and how his relationships were with the coaches and how he saw me fit into this program.”
He added: “And everything he said checked all the boxes for me. He said it was a great place to be here. Like they’re definitely going to push me. You’re going to get better here.”
Shade interpreted this revelation as significant for UNC fans who had wondered about Love’s feelings toward his former program. “I think we got our answer to that, at least in part, and I don’t think there’s any reason to think Henri was doing anything but being forthcoming with this,” Shade noted.
The podcast host concluded: “But it’s just good to know that Caleb loves this place, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and that he still has a lot of love in his heart for his former team.”
This analysis suggests that despite his transfer to Arizona in 2023, Love maintains positive feelings about UNC and actively encouraged Veesaar’s recruitment to the program.
