This was already the case when he was at Gonzaga, and that is also why the Frenchies Killian Tillie and Joël Ayayi have fully blossomed there: Tommy Lloyd likes to recruit internationally.
Moving from Gonzaga to Arizona, he has kept the same methods and this is how he has just won over one of the great “prospects” of the Old Continent in the person of the Estonian interior, Henri Veesaar (18 years old, 2m09 for 94kg ).
Watched by scouts since his fine performances at the 2019 Under-16 Euro in Udine, Italy, including a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds for his last match (against Bosnia Herzegovina), he has since spent three seasons at Real Madrid’s prestigious academy, where he notably won the Adidas Next Generation tournament in 2021.
In the mold of modern interiors, with lots of size but also mobility, Henri Veesaar has some serious arguments to make. With a wingspan that reaches 2m18, mobility and dexterity interesting for its size, it is obviously reminiscent of its Latvian neighbor, Kristaps Porzingis, in a tall profile capable of shooting outside as well as protecting the circle.
Last summer, Henri Veesaar skyrocketed his rating after having managed an excellent tournament for the European Challengers, with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks and almost 3 assists on average.
“It helps for integration to know that I will not be the only foreigner”
In addition, Henri Veesaar already has international experience, having been called up at the record age of 17 during qualifying. To tell the truth, the slender interior barely major will still spend the summer in the country, or more exactly with his national team for the qualifications for the next World Cup, before taking the direction of Tucson in August.
“I believe in the philosophy of Tommy Lloyd and his way of coaching”, he explained on ESPN. “I’ve been thinking about playing college for a while now, and I think Arizona is the best place to transition from the youth categories to the pro level. »
Knowing that the Wildcats will lose three of their best players, including Bennedict Mathurin, Christian Koloko and Dalen Terry, the arrival of Henri Veesaar is good news for the sustainability of the Arizona project. In this case, the young Estonian will be able to learn the tricks of the trade behind two other foreign interiors, Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis, who went through this transition before him.
“It helps for integration to know that I won’t be the only foreigner. And the style of play is a bit different too because they are used to having different players from different continents. The background varies a lot depending on where you grew up, and they have a good mix of different cultures. »
In fact, Henri Veesaar will be one of eight international players in the Wildcats squad, which includes two Lithuanians (the Tubelis twins), two Estonians (Kerr Kriisa and Veesaar), a Swede (Pelle Larsson), a Malian (Ballo ), a Serb (Filip Borovicanin) and a Frenchman (Adama Bal). While knowing that Arizona is also interested in the Canadian Leonard Miller who is currently reluctant to go directly from high school to the NBA…
Photo credits: FIBA
