By Adam Lucas
After a 26-point, 8-rebound, 10-for-11 shooting performance in just 28 minutes of action in Carolina’s 77-58 win over East Tennessee State, Henri Veesaar had only one minor frustration.
“My puppy didn’t win,” he said with a heavy sigh as he sat down for yet another postgame Tar Heel Sports Network interview.
Hubert and Leslie Davis created the Bobbie Webb Davis community spotlight this season (named in honor of Hubert’s mother) to use their platform to focus attention on deserving local community organizations. One timeout at each home game so far this season has highlighted a different group—a complete list and the relevant links are at the end of this story.
Tuesday night’s focus was on the Beautiful Together Animal Sanctuary, which brought eight puppies for the first ever Smith Center halftime puppy race. Each participant was named after a specific Tar Heel. The puppies were originally brought to practice about a week ago, and the puppy that latched onto each player was named for that individual. Veesaar, who already has two dogs, quickly fell in love with his puppy. It was a nice reminder that while he’s been unstoppable on the court, he’s also 21 years old. He’s learned plenty about rebounding from Sean May this year. But he’s also gained some off-court knowledge during his time in Chapel Hill.
“Community service is a huge part of our program,” Davis said this week. “It started with Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge and continued through Coach Williams. When you are in a position of influence you should look after the last, least, lost, left behind and looked over. I’m really proud of our guys. They are in a position to impact people and I also tell them a blessing is not just for you, but it’s to benefit somebody else other than just you. You have to spend time and give back.”
With former head manager Ragan Copeland in the newly created position of director of community engagement, the players have had even more opportunities to give back this season. They shopped for kids at Hargraves Community Center last week, painted shoes with kids from UNC Children’s Hospital, and as always, have sold team-signed basketballs that fund all the community projects (signed balls are available here). It’s not just this year; among other past activities, the Heels made a lengthy visit to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis last year and have visited a Nassau orphanage.
Both Hubert and Leslie Davis are well aware that fans come to games to watch the Tar Heels win, and to see incredible performances like Caleb Wilson’s first half soaring dunk or Veesaar’s 90.9 percent field goal shooting that tied the fourth-best effort ever by a Tar Heel in the Smith Center.
Their hope is that while fans are focused on the players on the court, the community spotlight might introduce some new people to groups the Davis family has long supported.
Of course, that might have backfired on them Tuesday night. Ten minutes before the game, potential new dog mom Gracie Davis was snapping a photo of herself with a Beautiful Together puppy. “I’m sending this to my dad right now,” she said.
And while Gracie might not have a new puppy (or maybe she does), and Veesaar appears to have struck out with his request to his fiancée to adopt puppy Henri, the head coach is happy with the way the project is connecting fans in 2025 while also bridging the history of the program.
“Everybody says how much college athletics has changed,” Davis said. “That’s all fluff. These are kids. They are still student-athletes and still trying to learn how to grow up. It’s fun to be part of that. I think they remember those outside moments more than the moments on the court sometimes. Those are memories that will last a lifetime. I still remember what Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge did for me.”
And he really does. Without prompting, Davis paused Tuesday night and recalled in vivid detail his playing days at Carolina, when Smith took the entire team to Central Prison in Raleigh.
“What a huge impact that made on me,” Davis said. “And on that visit, I watched Coach Smith go right onto death row, and he went into the prison cells and sat down on their beds and talked with the prisoners. Those are moments I am never going to forget.”
It’s entirely possible that Smith himself might have gotten a chuckle from the knowledge that the lessons he taught to a team 35 years ago have evolved into a halftime puppy race in the building that bears his name. But it’s also turned into Christmas presents for Chapel Hill-area kids who might not have otherwise had anything under the tree (and in some cases, didn’t even have a tree), and meals for families facing a very challenging cancer fight, and a basketball goal at the local Boys and Girls Club.
Oh, and also a seven-footer who is having the best season of his life, but will also remember one puppy just as much as a few dunks.
“I tried to hype him up,” Veesaar said of his namesake puppy’s race struggles. “But he was only four weeks old when I met him. He wasn’t very energetic yet. He’s more of a snuggles and cuddles guy.”
To find out more about the organizations that are part of the Bobbie Webb Davis community spotlight, visit any of the following links:
Boys and Girls Club
SECU House
Community Home Trust
MADD
Me Fine Foundation
Hargraves Community Center
Ronald McDonald House
Beautiful Together Animal Sanctuary
Special Olympics
