Arizona coach not happy with question about 'hiding' Henri Veesaar: 'That's insulting'
SEATTLE — Tommy Lloyd has NBA talent on his roster.
From Caleb Love to KJ Lewis to Carter Bryant to Henri Veesaar, the Arizona Wildcats have several future pros. And Veesaar might have the highest ceiling of any of them.
A 7-foot redshirt sophomore, Veesaar wasn't expected to play much this season. Lloyd had built his 2024-25 team around 7-foot-2 sophomore Motiejus Krivas, and was planning to play through him this season. But when Krivas suffered a season-ending foot injury in December, Lloyd turned to Veesaar.
Veesaar responded with a breakout game in Arizona's Big 12 opener vs. TCU, racking up 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in Arizona's 90-81 victory. He was 6-of-7 from the field and 1-of-2 from downtown.
In Arizona's 80-71 win over Baylor on Jan. 14, Veesaar turned in one of his most impressive performances of the season. The Bears are known for their defensive toughness and relentless pursuit of rebounds — and Veesaar dominated the paint. He scored 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds. He also blocked 2 shots and had 2 steals in just 19 minutes.
After the game, Baylor coach Scott Drew praised Veesaar's play.
"They destroyed us on the glass and we turned the ball over, and you can't do those two things and win on the road. They forced that. It wasn't like we just did it. Their big guy [Henri Veesaar], he's a pro," Drew said. "First time I saw him on film I was like 'he's a pro.' I don't know how Tommy [Lloyd] does it. Year in and year out he finds them dudes, develops them. Does a great job."
'To think that I would hide a kid is crazy'
Veesaar, who has started five games this season, typically comes off the bench early in the game. With Oregon boasting 7-foot center Nate Bittle it will be interesting to see if Lloyd starts Veesaar on Sunday night in Arizona's round of 32 NCAA Tournament matchup with the Ducks.
Arizona has a versatile roster, with Tobe Awaka, Trey Townsend, Carter Bryant and Veesaar all long and athletic enough to guard multiple positions. Lloyd has started Veesaar when the matchup dictates it and there's an advantage to be gained.
In Lloyd's press conference ahead of the showdown with Oregon, a reporter said she had been talking to "NBA people" and asked Lloyd if "he was hiding (Veesaar) at this point, and not playing him a ton."
Lloyd did not like the question.
"That's insulting. Who are these NBA people? I've never seen them. Are these, like, sources?" Lloyd responded. "Listen, people who say that -- I'll just say this: A lot of people have answers to tests they've never passed. I'm a coach. I'm coaching my team. Anybody that thinks I'm holding a kid back is crazy. But you know what? On a team, you have other players. You have other scenarios, and there's this thing called fouls, there's this thing called fatigue. You don't get to coach a team in a vacuum."
"It literally makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up when people are saying that, because it's coming from a place of ignorance, and it's really disrespectful to say to a coach. To think that I would hide a kid is crazy. So yeah, on that note, thank you guys."
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-029877d49238355bd3388a94f90e3c72.jpg "Ben Sherman")
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his 27-year journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. A basketball junkie, March Madness is his favorite time of the year.