Who is Henri Veesaar, the Real Madrid player who has joined the NCAA’s Arizona Wildcats?
After three years in the Real Madrid youth academy, 18-year-old Estonia international Veesaar is to play for the Wildcats in US college basketball.
American basketball has crossed paths with the academy at Real Madrid again. 18-year-old big man Henri Veesaar has left the Spanish club’s youth setup to join the Arizona Wildcats in the NCAA. “I believe in [Wildcats head coach] Tommy Lloyd’s philosophy and how he coaches,” Veesaar said. “I’ve thought about playing college basketball for some time now and I think Arizona is a perfect fit to make the jump from youth to professional sports.”
Veesaar a EuroLeague Next Generation winner with Real Madrid
The Estonian departs Madrid after three years in the Spanish capital, having won the EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament in 2020-21. Last season, he averaged 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for a PIR of 13.4 in the nine games he played in Europe, between the qualifying phase in Slovenia and the final tournament in Serbia. Madrid finished second in their group with a 2-1 record that was only surpassed by Serbia’s Mega Mozzart, who finally took the continental title.
Veesaar has excellent mobility despite being 6ft 11in tall, and has improved on his three-point shooting. He has shown promising development in his ball handling and a good ability to pass and protect the rim. He possesses a blend of qualities that he has showcased in the different continental competitions he has played in with his country. The U16 European Championship, in which he appeared at the age of 15, was his gateway to Madrid. At just 17 years old, he became the youngest player to make his senior debut for Estonia during 2023 World Cup qualifying in November 2021.
Estonian follows Miller in swapping Madrid for NCAA
Veesaar is not the only Madrid academy product to leave for the NCAA this year. Spanish forward Baba Miller, one of the best in his generation in Europe, will try his luck at the Florida State Seminoles. Miller had been at Madrid since 2016 and, having grown to a height of 6ft 10in, has gone from playing point guard and shooting guard to operating as a forward. With Madrid, he had already made his debut as a member of the first team, in Los Merengues’ heroic EuroLeague victory last Christmas against CSKA.