How UNC basketball’s frontcourt is surprising Hubert Davis — ‘in a good way’

When Henri Veesaar recorded a double-double in North Carolina’s season-opener against Central Arkansas, Hubert Davis was stunned. Were the 14 points and 10 boards shocking? No. But the head coach couldn’t believe that, after two seasons at Arizona, Veesaar hadn’t managed to do this earlier.

“When they said that after the game, I was like, ‘Oh, bejeebies, that’s crazy,’” Davis said then, after the Nov. 3 game. “I just didn’t think that was real.”

A month later, it’s just as unbelievable that Veesaar ever went without one. The Estonian native recorded his fifth double-double Sunday in an 81-61 win over Georgetown, scoring 18 alongside a career-best 15 rebounds, two triples (tying a career best) and three blocks. Paired with Caleb Wilson (who recorded his sixth double-double on the year), the two are anchoring a frontcourt that’s shaping up to be one of the best post duos in the nation.

That is, if it isn’t already.

Posting up

On nights like Sunday, when the Dean E. Smith Center dipped back into nostalgia with 1982-inspired vintage uniforms, old-school logos and fonts gracing the scoreboards and a visit from the Hoyas, North Carolina’s past is easy to feel. Its bigs fit the theme, too, by turning the paint into a time capsule. They controlled the lane. Bodies banged. Wilson and Veesaar dragged the game into the trenches and emerged with a combined 38 points and 29 rebounds. For the second straight game, and fourth time in nine contests, both recorded double-doubles in the same outing.

“One of the things that I’ve said to them over and over again [is] that there’s no way, there’s no route, there’s no road other than being able to be tough on both ends of the floor,” Davis said. “We’ve identified that, when the ball goes up in the air [or] it’s on the ground, we’ve got to be physical and tough enough that it’s always all UNC.”

Nowhere has that mandate shown up more consistently than in the post. Veesaar and Wilson have now scored in double figures in every game. At least one of them has led UNC in scoring and rebounding in eight of nine contests.

In doing so, the duo is on track to record one of the most dominant frontcourt runs in modern program history. It’s early to make such a declaration, but in line with Sunday’s retro theme, it’s worth dipping into the record books to examine this trend.

The last time North Carolina saw two players average at least 16 points and eight rebounds in a season, Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace were suiting up for the Tar Heels in 1994-95. And, before Sunday, the last Tar Heel pairing to each record 18 points and 14 rebounds in a game was Sean May and Marvin Williams in a 2005 NCAA Tournament contest against Iowa State. Before that? You’d have to venture back to the 1950s. (It was Lee Shaffer and Pete Brennan in 1958, in case you were wondering)

Simply put, this isn’t normal. But through UNC’s first nine games, these two versatile big men are still, somehow, evolving.

New look, new approach?

For Wilson, that showed up in a new look — the freshman sported a white headband for the first time — and new approach to the defensive coverage he faced. Wilson has seen heavier traffic in recent games, with St. Bonaventure, Michigan State and Kentucky deploying double teams to throw the pro prospect off his game.

Georgetown was no different. Well, at least from the Hoyas’ approach. But Wilson entered Sunday with a 34% clip across those last three games, and as a result, plenty of lessons.

Davis has reminded the freshman to pay attention to his surroundings and be hyperaware of opponents’ strategies to guard him. What angles were other teams using? Where were they double-teaming from? How could Wilson better pace himself?

Wilson found some answers Sunday.

“I think his patience has really improved,” fellow freshman Derek Dixon said. “That’s something we focused on all week, either going quick or being patient, accepting the double and making the right play from there. I thought he was really good at passing out the doubles today, and got us a lot of open looks. So it’s good to see his growth, and he’s getting better every game.”

Wilson’s passing instincts countered the help. He also used his midrange jumper, which he said he models after Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. Georgetown coach Ed Cooley compared Wilson to Tracy McGrady after the game. For Davis, Wilson’s “elite” midrange game translates to the same result, regardless of your NBA reference point: FGM.

Translation?

“Field goals made,” Davis said. “From 12 to 15 feet, that thing goes in.”

“I feel like it’s always open,” Wilson added. “Like, no matter what. So I just wait for my opportunity… I try to use the ball fakes a lot too because I know everybody’s overly aggressive to guard me.”

Finding the tools

If Wilson’s progression has been about learning when to slow down, Veesaar’s has been about learning the tools required to take over.

The shift, he said, came over the summer from his work with assistant coach Sean May — particularly on defensive rebounding.

“Last year, I did a good job of boxing out and not letting my guy get a rebound,” Veesaar said. “But I feel like, this year, I’m doing a good job of hitting and then releasing to get the ball.”

Davis has noticed the difference, too.

“He’s so huge for us on both ends of the floor,” Davis said. “His rebounding is real. His length, his ability — not only just to rebound, but keep balls alive up in the air — that allows us to be able to get those rebounds, get to the offensive glass.”

Wilson and Veesaar recorded 14 and 15 rebounds, respectively, against Georgetown. Sunday evening marked the first time two Tar Heels had at least 14 rebounds since Brice Johnson (21) and Kennedy Meeks (14) at Duke in 2016.

It was only the second time since 1972 two Tar Heels had 14 or more rebounds in the same contest.

And then there’s Veesaar’s shooting. The junior is hitting 40% of his shots from beyond the arc. His 2-for-3 performance from deep Sunday included a late-clock turnaround triple he launched on a first-half inbound pass from Kyan Evans.

Did the seven-footer have any doubts about putting that one up?

“Honestly, no…I saw that nobody was around me,” Veesaar said. “We had five seconds left. So I think that’s the best shot we were going to get at that point.”

Gaining confidence

Veesaar said the outside shot has always been part of his game, but the difference now is volume, summer reps and, with that, confidence.

That confidence is compounding — and for good reason. In this tough four-game stretch before the Tar Heels break for finals, Veesaar and Wilson have passed every test.

Well, except for one. Wilson, on Sunday, failed to record a dunk for the first time this season.

Davis was quick to defend him.

“I’ll tell you one thing,” Davis began, recalling a recent practice where Wilson had pulled off a dunk so typically atypical — just so Caleb — that his teammates stopped and stood still.

“I said, ‘Act like you’ve been there before,’” Davis recalled. “I was like, ‘Guys everybody does this. We’ve seen that play before.’”

Really?

“Then I said, ‘Guys, it’s the first time that I’ve lied to you,’” Davis continued. “’I’ve never seen that.’”

The press room broke out in laughter. Davis elaborated, calling Wilson a “dude.” Some of the shots the freshman hit on Sunday didn’t come from individual workouts, Davis reasoned, but just because the kid “can play.” In these ways, and more, Davis’ frontcourt has stunned and surprised him in the early goings of this season. And he doesn’t mind it.

“I like to continue to see things I’ve never seen before,” Davis said with a chuckle and an important modifier, “in a good way.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2025 at 6:00 AM.