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UNC's Henri Veesaar, Derek Dixon and Caleb Wilson after blowout of Notre Dame
Jan 22, 2026
UNC's Henri Veesaar, Derek Dixon and Caleb Wilson after blowout of Notre Dame
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0:00
get yourself going after the way last
0:02
week went.
0:02
Uh I feel like we just took the good
0:04
ones this this time. We're taking open
0:06
ones and then if you keep shooting, you
0:08
take the right ones, you're going to get
0:09
rewarded for that. And I think we're
0:11
playing hard in the first half,
0:12
rebounding, playing good defense. So
0:15
just being able to get get stops and get
0:17
going in transition is going to reward
0:18
us with open shots and and we're going
0:20
to make them.
0:21
And so many of them were open. What did
0:22
you guys do to get them? What were you
0:24
taking advantage of? I feel like we did
0:25
a good job of getting stops on defense
0:27
and just running so that way they got
0:29
mismatched or we were getting like they
0:32
had four games we had four games five
0:33
advantage where we able to just swing
0:35
swing into open three or being able to
0:37
draw two like they were doubling kale
0:39
the whole game so was able to pass out
0:41
we got open one from there
0:42
earlier this week coach Davis said you
0:44
guys had some really good practices
0:45
after Cal what made those practices good
0:47
and how did that translate into the game
0:49
tonight? I mean, I just think everybody
0:51
hated losing those two games. So, kind
0:53
of created a sense of urgency where we
0:55
need to change and I think everybody was
0:57
willing to give 100% uh effort in every
0:59
practice that we had those two. So, just
1:01
doing that I think set us in perfect
1:04
position to win this game.
1:05
On this radio show, I think could
1:08
describe the first half of the Cal game
1:10
as maybe guys being a little bit like
1:11
shook from the Stanford game. I guess to
1:14
what extent do you agree and just also
1:17
how you know inspiring was it to see
1:19
just that that push that you guys had
1:21
that game?
1:22
Uh
1:23
I wouldn't say we were shook but they
1:25
definitely got we weren't ready
1:27
defensive a lot of times. There was a
1:29
lot of awareness problems in that game
1:30
where they got easy shots of our
1:32
mistakes. So just being able to kind of
1:33
limit those this game really helped us
1:36
and the last like the five minute
1:38
stretch where we had that end of game
1:39
where we were playing hard. It kind of
1:41
showed us that as long as we do what we
1:42
can we do and control the narrative of
1:44
the game, then we're going to do good
1:46
and we can win any game.
1:47
What's your offensive focus a little bit
1:48
different at the beginning of the second
1:50
half when you scored so many points in
1:51
the first three or four minutes?
1:52
I mean, I feel like the ball just came
1:54
to me and I got open shots. So, just
1:56
taking those and I feel like the
1:58
emphasis will always depend on the
1:59
paint. That's what we do every game
2:00
[clears throat] and that's what we try
2:01
to emphasize every game to do.
2:03
Going back to what Michael asked about
2:04
about the sense of urgency. Did you guys
2:06
get the sense of urgency? Was it created
2:08
in the first practice or did you have it
2:10
before you got into practice? And what
2:12
were the conversations like that kind of
2:13
got that sense of urgency going?
2:15
No, I feel like we had that already like
2:18
first half after we were down 19 to Cal
2:20
the first half of the night. Just being
2:22
able to see that like knowing we got to
2:23
change a quick or we're going to lose
2:25
every single game in the conference. So
2:27
just being able to be ready and know
2:29
that as long as we play our own game and
2:31
give 100% effort, we can control if we
2:33
win or lose. And I think those games we
2:35
were in we should have been in control
2:37
and we could have kept have two more
2:40
wins or we have two more losses cuz we
2:42
didn't play as good as we could.
2:43
So would you say that first half in
2:44
Berkeley was kind of a wakeup call in
2:46
some respects.
2:47
Uh yeah I'll say yeah it definitely was
2:49
like being getting down. I feel like we
2:51
had a good non-conference and then we
2:53
started conference off shaky what two
2:56
and two and then obviously went in there
2:57
and they lit us up in the first half. So
2:59
second half we're just trying to play
3:01
catchup and every time we try to get
3:02
catch like we're getting closer they
3:04
make a big play to keep us off.
3:06
One more on that. Seth told us after the
3:07
game Saturday that he thought the second
3:09
half was something you guys would build
3:12
from. It was sort of a springing
3:13
forward. Is that exactly what it was?
3:15
Yeah, for sure. Like we just showed that
3:17
whenever we play our own game, we can
3:19
come back from 19 point lead like being
3:21
down 19 and we're very close but we just
3:24
were missing a couple couple extra
3:25
plays. What was the difference
3:26
defensively in this game from the
3:28
previous two or three?
3:30
Uh, I mean obviously we scouted a little
3:32
bit different, changed, tweaked our
3:34
defense, but I would say it was just
3:36
being ready and guarding the three-point
3:37
line better and kind of forcing the
3:39
guards to come make a play in the paint
3:41
against bigs that really helped us.
3:43
What were some of the tweaks you you
3:44
guys made?
3:45
I mean, that was the part where we were
3:46
trying to emphasis taking away the
3:48
three-point line and just being able to
3:50
guard and force the opposing guards to
3:52
go finish against our bigs. Derek
3:54
getting the start for the second
3:56
straight game. What is it about him that
3:57
you think makes coach Davis trust him to
3:59
give him that opportunity?
4:00
I mean, I think last game where he was
4:02
like four for eight from three, I'm not
4:04
100% sure, but obviously this game he
4:06
was three for five. So, he's shooting
4:07
lights out. He's taking control of the
4:09
game. He's not turning the ball over
4:11
much. He's just running the offense and
4:13
we just need to move the ball and when
4:15
we get from side to side, we play great.
4:17
Heated message about it. Um, you know,
4:18
we got to take pride in our defense and,
4:20
you know, we build off our defense. when
4:22
we get stops, we're able to get out in
4:23
transition and run and get easy buckets.
4:24
So, just really defense.
4:27
Anything about um I mean you guys have
4:29
known there have been some defensive
4:31
struggles for, you know, a few games
4:33
now. Um obviously tonight much better,
4:36
but was there anything different maybe
4:38
about practices this week?
4:41
Uh not necessarily. I think there was a
4:43
little bit more of defensive effort.
4:44
Some of our defensive segments were a
4:45
little bit longer, but um I think it was
4:47
just all all mental. um locking in on
4:50
the defensive end and you know we showed
4:51
it out there tonight.
4:52
Communication or sorry but like what
4:54
specifically like you mentioned on the
4:55
defensive end?
4:56
Yeah, I mean communication is always an
4:58
emphasis. Um I thought we did a good job
4:59
in our switches today um communicating
5:01
on that and yeah like you said
5:03
communication is a big thing.
5:04
What were some of the tweaks you made
5:05
defensively between the Cal game and
5:07
this game that made a difference?
5:09
Um I think we just try to really focus
5:10
on the three-point shooting. Um being a
5:13
little bit further out in our gaps, a
5:14
little bit closer to our guys uh to take
5:16
away threes. Derek, when does anything
5:18
change for you in your mental
5:19
preparation when you get told that
5:21
you're starting?
5:22
No, I think uh I try to just it's
5:24
another game. Um obviously it's it's a
5:26
dream come true to [music] start and you
5:28
know it's something I work for, but uh
5:30
nothing changes. I try to just play the
5:31
game the right way. When I'm open, shoot
5:33
it. When I'm not open, pass it and just
5:35
keep it simple.
5:36
Henry talked about a sense of urgency
5:37
that you guys had um in the practices
5:39
earlier this week and of course in the
5:40
game tonight. Could you feel that sort
5:42
of beginning from the end of the cow
5:44
game?
5:44
For sure. Sure. I mean, when you get uh
5:46
when you take losses like that, you got
5:47
to respond in a in a big way. And I
5:49
thought, you know, like you said, really
5:50
intense practices this week, really
5:52
defensive focused, and I thought we did
5:53
a good job showing it out there. So,
5:55
when you execute in a game like this,
5:56
you know, win by 20 or 30 points. How do
5:58
you keep that sense of urgency going in
6:00
the shorter?
6:01
Yeah, I mean, honestly, even out there,
6:03
uh towards the end of the game, I think
6:04
some of the intensity slipped a little
6:06
bit. We started getting a little sloppy.
6:08
So, just just trying to really focus on
6:09
just being sharp. um building on this
6:11
type of stuff and don't like like the
6:13
end of the game showed us like when you
6:14
when we lose focus and get a little
6:15
sloppy, you know, we're not invincible
6:17
to anything. So, just just keep building
6:18
on it.
6:19
You guys kind of separated yourself
6:20
early with some of those threes, you
6:22
know, down the stretch kind of waned a
6:24
little bit, but your confidence tonight,
6:26
shooting from three, eight guys made
6:28
from three. What was kind of the key for
6:29
you guys?
6:30
Uh just really good ball movement. Um
6:31
playing inside out, you know, Caleb was
6:33
getting doubled, so when they double
6:34
him, he can kick out. Got extras. Uh
6:37
just focusing on good to great passes.
6:38
um getting wide open shots and you know
6:40
we got a lot of good shooters on this
6:41
team. We were confident and we knock
6:43
them down today.
6:44
Were you surprised at how many threes
6:45
you guys shot and like in the first 12
6:47
minutes? I mean it was almost every
6:49
shot.
6:50
Uh I mean a little bit but at the same
6:52
time they they all the teams we played
6:54
really focusing on Caleb and Henry
6:56
inside packing it in and you know when
6:58
we play inside out you know we get those
6:59
open looks and you know we're able to
7:01
knock down that. Do you feel like you
7:03
can easily get two, three, two or three
7:05
three-pointers a game? Uh, and really
7:08
you see because you've really been in a
7:10
groove here lately.
7:11
Yeah, I think uh I mean I just try to
7:12
play the right way. Shoot it when I'm
7:14
open. Um guys found me tonight and you
7:16
know I'm confident when I get open. So,
7:17
you know, however many if it's two,
7:19
three, if it's eight like last game, um
7:21
I'm when I'm open, I'm going to shoot
7:22
it. I'm going to be confident.
7:23
Were your shots coming differently
7:24
tonight than earlier games?
7:26
No, I don't think necessarily. Um just
7:28
open open extras, open one more, all
7:31
that type of stuff. Um just just trying
7:32
to shoot when I'm open.
7:33
Jaden got the start tonight for the
7:35
first time. Obviously some foul
7:36
troubles. He didn't get the best outing,
7:37
but what what how much did you kind of
7:39
earn that?
7:41
Yeah, I think uh the starter five was
7:43
the group that kind of made that
7:44
comeback versus Cal and uh really just
7:46
try to like build on that and focus on
7:48
that and keep that intensity. And that's
7:50
what we try to do at the start game
7:51
tonight.
7:51
It's beautiful. like you go even
7:53
sometimes like when I'm driving to
7:55
practice or something like that like
7:56
when I'm up on the hill you look down
7:58
and see the Smithson just like like dang
8:00
that's where we'll be playing at. It's
8:01
just kind of really cool and it's just a
8:03
beautiful arena and a beautiful court
8:05
and it's a story.
8:06
What do you think were some of the keys
8:07
to allow you guys to extend the lead in
8:09
the second half?
8:10
Uh sticking with what works. Uh playing
8:13
really hard defense. Like I said, taking
8:15
pride in defense. I feel like we've
8:17
never had problem scoring. Like if we
8:19
lose in a game, you're still going to
8:20
put up 85 80 points. So, it's never
8:22
about scoring, it's all about finishing.
8:24
What were the differences defensively
8:26
tonight and what are some of the tweaks
8:27
that made it work for you?
8:29
We just stuck to shooters. That would
8:30
probably be the biggest thing. Um, we
8:33
communicated, talked loud, like it was a
8:35
lot of communication out there. We were
8:36
physical. Like, we didn't let any other
8:37
team composer will on us.
8:39
Seemed like communication had been a
8:40
problem the last two or three games. Did
8:41
the coaches talk to you about that a
8:43
lot?
8:43
I mean, they talk to us about everything
8:45
that we need to fix. It's all on us to
8:46
fix it.
8:47
Caleb, that's a long flight back from
8:48
California, man. What did you kind of
8:50
reflect on coming back to North Carolina
8:52
and kind of think about after those two
8:54
games out there?
8:55
I just thought I had to be more of a
8:56
leader honestly. Um I feel like uh and
9:01
also I just felt like I had to take more
9:03
pride in what I was doing. Like
9:05
sometimes like you like when you're
9:07
playing like you tired as I don't know
9:08
what and you just going through a lot me
9:11
and and then like external stuff that is
9:14
affecting you while you play. So, for me
9:16
it was just about like making sure I was
9:17
mentally good and then also just playing
9:19
as hard as I can and getting the breaks
9:21
when I need them.
9:22
What did it kind of take to get back to
9:24
neutral, so to speak, for you to get
9:25
back where you wanted to be?
9:27
Um, reading, reading books for my mental
9:30
health. I don't really get rattled by
9:32
losses or anything like that. I feel
9:34
like it's always a learning experience.
9:35
And I mean, me personally, I love
9:37
adversity cuz I mean, it's only going to
9:39
make you better for now and for later.
9:41
seemed like you were passing out of
9:42
double teams more effectively
9:44
consistently tonight. Is that just from
9:47
having those double teams repeatedly
9:49
game after game? What do you do
9:50
different?
9:51
Work on it. We work on it in practice.
9:52
Uh most teams are going to know me from
9:54
here on out. So I just expect it. I know
9:56
where it's coming from. I know what to
9:58
do to get out of it and I also know like
9:59
where my teammates were going to be at.
10:00
So it just makes it much easier to just
10:02
make a read.
10:03
Any adjustments you've made to make that
10:04
so effective for you?
10:06
Uh just just knowing my teammates are
10:08
ready and just being patient. uh
10:10
retreating out of it. I don't feel like
10:12
anybody can guard me oneonone. So, that
10:14
was my that was kind of my thing. I had
10:15
to change my mentality. Like, I know I'm
10:16
not going against one person anymore.
10:18
It's probably going to be two or three.
10:19
So, once I realized that, I just
10:21
realized like I just got to get my
10:22
teammates involved. And when I figured
10:24
out how to do it, it was it.
10:25
What have you been reading?
10:26
Uh this book I got from my high school
10:28
principal. It's called Breakfast with
10:30
Cynica.
10:31
Is that like another stoicism?
10:32
Yes. He's he's a philosopher.
10:35
I feel like it's a really good book.
10:37
He's read it. It's nice.
10:38
We'll tap in. I've been meaning to ask.
10:39
We didn't get the chance to talk to you
10:41
after the cow game, but there's this one
10:43
moment in the first half. You might
10:45
remember, I think you went on like an 80
10:47
personal tear. You come to the bench.
10:49
Actually, I talked to Seth about it and
10:50
you were like yelling.
10:52
You were yelling at your teammates
10:53
getting and he said he liked that. He
10:55
liked that a lot. Just seeing the fire
10:57
out of you. You were talking earlier
10:59
about you want to be more of a leader.
11:00
Was that part of that? just kind of take
11:02
me through that moment because it it
11:04
stuck out to me.
11:06
I mean for me honestly I just know that
11:08
my time here is limited and I want to
11:10
make the most of it most out of it. So
11:12
like every game matters to me and me I'm
11:15
still figuring out how to win. Like it's
11:17
not just scoring. It's not just
11:18
rebounding. It's like a collection of
11:20
things. So honestly I was yelling at my
11:23
teammates about like like we're North
11:25
Carolina, bro. We shouldn't be losing to
11:26
Cap. Like that's just how I feel. I feel
11:28
like that's how everybody feels. But
11:30
after I watched the game, I figured out
11:32
like it's so much stuff that I was doing
11:34
and my teammates were doing that were
11:35
just prohibiting us from winning
11:36
defensive rotations, like not going to
11:38
the offensive glass, not sacrificing
11:40
yourself for your teammates by screening
11:42
and stuff like that. So once we were
11:44
able to focus on that and really like
11:45
get that in our heads, like it really
11:46
just changed our mentality and our
11:47
mindset for these the next couple games.
11:49
You're watching film on the flight back.
11:51
Is there like one clip or one thing you
11:53
remember that just like fits too often?
11:55
Um well the first I think the first
11:58
score of their game and I feel like this
12:00
is something we have to work on like
12:01
when we come out the [music] game we
12:02
have to be more like assertive and
12:04
aggressive. The first play of the game I
12:06
think it was either offensive rebound
12:08
and then I missed a I missed a low tag.
12:10
Yeah.
12:10
I was like face guarding do number two
12:13
cuz I thought he was going to come off a
12:14
pin down but it's not my job.
12:16
Was that the back door cut?
12:17
No no it wasn't the back door cut. That
12:18
was that was Jire. That was later in the
12:19
game. It was it was like really early in
12:21
the game and it was a roll to the basket
12:23
and I think that your big got a layup
12:25
but that should have been the tag but
12:27
that's that that was that was that
12:31
mentioned earlier this week that you
12:32
guys had some really good practices
12:34
after Cal. What was it that made those
12:35
practices positive for you guys and how
12:37
did that lead to this game? We just
12:39
competed and everybody kind of put their
12:42
pride to the side. Like everybody kind
12:44
of just bought into what our coaches
12:45
were saying because like we have to
12:47
[clears throat] be on one page to win.
12:49
Just learning from switches and learning
12:51
when not to help. One of the challenges
12:53
defensively for you. What are what have
12:55
been the biggest defensive challenges?
12:57
Uh just like on ball I feel like I'm
13:00
pretty good. Like I feel like that's my
13:01
strong suit is just being attentive off
13:03
the ball. And I feel like that's a big
13:05
thing coming from high school that most
13:07
people have to work on because in
13:09
college like something's always coming.
13:10
So just being able to pay attention off
13:12
ball and I really worked on that day
13:14
trying to stay in a stance and be
13:15
physical off the ball.
13:16
At the beginning of the year you were
13:17
very clear that you felt like nationally
13:19
you weren't getting the attention that
13:21
you deserve. Do you feel like you're
13:23
getting that now? Do you feel like
13:24
people know who Caleb is?
13:26
I've actually stopped trying to look at
13:27
my phone and try to like focus on
13:30
myself. I feel like at the beginning of
13:31
the year I was out to prove everyone
13:32
wrong and it kind of it's kind of
13:34
changed for me because like
13:36
I'm trying to like I said I try to prove
13:38
myself right now. Like every game I go
13:39
out I just just have fun and try to play
13:42
cuz eventually everybody going to be on
13:44
your side if you win it. This is
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