There never really was much hope that Henri Veesaar would return to North Carolina for his senior season.
Following a breakout junior year, Veesaar turned down a lot of money to return the college ranks, solely focusing on jumpstarting his NBA career. There was no doubt in Veesaar's mind that this was the plan for him, as he made sure everyone knew he was all in on the NBA Draft process.
However, if Hubert Davis wasn't let go, would that have swayed his decision? Veesaar was asked that question during his NBA Draft Combine interview, and his answer is a rather interesting one.
Henri Veesaar raises some eyebrows with his Hubert Davis take
Veesaar was asked directly if the coaching change at North Carolina played any factor in his decision to head to the NBA. Here's what the former Tar Heel had to say:
“Yes and no,” Veesaar said. “I think either way, I would have chosen to come to the NBA. I think that was the right move for basketball. But, I love Coach Davis. The way he treated me, the way he gave me all the opportunities, he took me into Chapel Hill. I have the utmost respect for him, and I would have loved to play for him again, but I think either way I would have gone to the draft.”
Post-Combine NBA Mock Draft is gold for UNC's Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar
Before everyone takes his comment out of context: there was a 0% chance that Veesaar was returning to campus, regardless of if Davis was still the head coach of the program.
To no surprise, Veesaar has a lot of love for Davis. Let's face it: Veesaar isn't in this current position without him, as he took a chance on him as a transfer and helped him develop into one of the country's top big men. Without the trust and confidence from Davis and the Tar Heels coaching staff, Veesaar still might be vying for the type of breakout season he had this last year in Chapel Hill, so no one should be stunned that he has all positive things to say about his former coach.
However, as loyal as Veesaar is to Davis, it's hard to think that he wouldn't want the opportunity to be coached by Michael Malone, a former NBA champion who worked closely with the best international big man out there: Nikola Jokic.
Sure, Veesaar could've officially shut the door on his college career once Davis was fired, a percentage that, even before the decision, was close to non-existent to begin with. Don't get too wrapped up in his comment thinking, "if Davis was still around, Veesaar would be back!" That is as far from the case as possible, as he was fully intent on starting his professional basketball career after his stellar year at North Carolina.
Of course, it's very interesting to hear what Veesaar has to say about Davis, especially how he noted that his departure played a big role in his decision-making process.
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