CHAPEL HILL — UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis doesn’t cuss, but watching Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar has led to several “beejebies” moments this season.
Through nine games for the No. 15/14 Tar Heels (8-1), Wilson and Veesaar have arguably been the top frontcourt duo in college hoops. A 6-foot-10 freshman, Wilson is averaging a double-double at 19.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, with six double-doubles.
Veesaar, a junior and 7-foot center who transferred from Arizona, is averaging 16.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, logging five double-doubles to break new ground in his career. The fact that Veesaar didn’t have a double-double in two seasons with the Wildcats is still hard for Davis to comprehend. “I was like, ‘What the bejeebies?’ I was shocked,” Davis said after UNC’s 20-point win against Georgetown, which saw Wilson and Veesaar combine for 38 points and 29 rebounds.
The numbers have Wilson and Veesaar on track to become just the second duo in UNC history to average at least 16 points and 9 rebounds per game in a season. It hasn’t happened in 65 years.
Lee Shaffer (18.2 ppg, 11.2 rbg) and Doug Moe (16.8 ppg, 11.3 rbg) are the only other Tar Heel teammates to hit those marks, doing so in the 1959-60 season. Wilson and Veesaar have a shot to end the drought.
Here’s a breakdown of the production from UNC’s dominant duo.
Caleb Wilson watches Kobe Bryant highlights, makes plays Hubert Davis has ‘never seen before’
During a practice this season, Caleb Wilson made a play that led to an innocent lie from Hubert Davis.
Following a rim-rocking, sky-walking slam by Wilson, the Tar Heels stopped in awe of the high-flying acrobatic play. Davis told the team to “act like you’ve been there before,” that it was something that “everybody does” and a play that “we’ve seen” before. “And then I said, ‘Guys, it’s the first time that I’ve lied to you. I’ve never seen that,” Davis said.
“He dunked and everyone just stopped. And I was like, ‘Man, I’ve never seen that one before. And some of the shots that he hit (against Georgetown), that wasn’t an individual workout. That’s just because he’s a dude and he can play. And so I’ve never seen that before either. So I’d like to continue to see things I’ve never seen before, in a good way.”
Wilson has a nation-best 28 dunks, but he didn’t have a slam against Georgetown. He still finished with 20 points, showing off his shooting touch with a season-high eight mid-range buckets. He also made 6 of 6 free throws against the Hoyas, getting to the line at least six times in each of his first nine games as a Tar Heel.
“I just try not to force stuff,” Wilson said when asked about his starting to handle increased attention from defenders. “Just play the game, find who’s open, tell my teammates to get in a position where I can see them, and just let it happen.”
Wilson said he gets advice from NBA players and his father, Jerry, though he wouldn’t reveal the players in the league helping him out. But there is one NBA Hall of Famer that Wilson consistently watches tape of to study and implement into his game: Kobe Bryant.
“He’s my favorite player, just his game and also just his mentality and his work ethic,” Wilson said. “I watch a lot of Kobe, and I feel like it’s going to be really important for me, because he faced double teams, and he had to figure out how to work through them.” And if he continues his production at this rate, Wilson will join Tyler Hansbrough as the only freshmen in UNC history to lead the team in scoring and rebounding.
Henri Veesaar rebounding at incredible rate for Tar Heels
As Hubert Davis has said multiple times throughout the season, it’s still hard to believe Henri Veesaar arrived in Chapel Hill without a double-double on his resume. Now, it’s become a regular occurrence for UNC’s man in the middle. So what’s the difference? Well, Veesaar himself has said he’s become more aggressive in pursuing rebounds.
He felt like he did a good job of boxing out at Arizona and preventing his guy from getting the rebound. But in Chapel Hill, Veesaar has become better at boxing out and snatching the ball out of the air. After logging a defensive rebounding rate of just over 14 in his first two years with the Wildcats, Veesaar is at 20 through nine games at UNC.
“He’s so huge for us on both ends of the floor. His rebounding is real, his length, his ability not only just to rebound but to keep balls alive up in the air that allows us to be able to get those rebounds,” Davis said. “To get to the offensive glass, that’s something that’s always been an emphasis for us. And honestly, with him and Caleb, they’re our two best offensive rebounders. … And you got a seven-footer that can score around the basket, can pass, can handle, can shoot threes – that’s somebody that I like that’s on our team.”
For Veesaar, who has become an aggressor with his play and vocal leadership, the motivation to fire up the Tar Heels — as he teams up with Wilson for productive days in the post — goes back to one goal.
“I want to win,” Veesaar said. “I know they want to win.”
