Just four days after their loss to Duke in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Arizona Wildcats have already lost three players, a clear reflection of the transfer portal era.
Henri Veesaar is the latest Arizona player to enter the transfer portal, announcing his decision on Monday. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello first reported the news.
Veesaar, a 7-foot redshirt sophomore, wasn’t initially expected to play a major role for the Wildcats in the 2024-25 season. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd had designed his team around 7-foot-2 sophomore Motiejus Krivas, planning to play through him. However, after Krivas suffered a season-ending foot injury in December, Lloyd turned to Veesaar.
Veesaar delivered a standout performance in Arizona’s Big 12 opener against TCU, contributing 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in a 90-81 victory. He was 6-of-7 from the field and 1-of-2 from beyond the arc.
Starting five games this season, Veesaar was a key player off the bench for Lloyd, alongside sophomore guard KJ Lewis, who entered the portal on Sunday. Freshman center Emmanuel Stephen is also in the transfer portal.
Veesaar averaged 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 20.8 minutes per game this season. His potential is high, and he is expected to attract significant interest in the portal. Earlier in the season, Baylor coach Scott Drew praised him as “a pro.”
“Their big guy [Henri Veesaar], he’s a pro,” Drew said. “The first time I saw him on film, I thought ‘he’s a pro.’ I don’t know how Tommy [Lloyd] does it. Year after year, he finds and develops these guys. He does a great job.”
Before Arizona’s second-round game against Oregon in the NCAA Tournament, a reporter asked Lloyd if he was “hiding” Veesaar from NBA scouts by not giving him significant playing time. Lloyd responded sharply to the question.
“That’s insulting. Who are these NBA people? I’ve never seen them. Are they, like, sources?” Lloyd said. “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. Anyone who thinks I’m holding a kid back is crazy. But you know what? On a team, you have other players, other situations, and things like fouls and 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 say that, because it’s coming from a place of ignorance, and it’s really disrespectful to say to a coach. To think I would hide a kid is crazy. So yeah, on that note, thank you guys.”
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