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WACO, Texas — Unlike a lot of guys who arrive at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ used to being the star wherever they have been, or at least always a starter, Henri Veesaar didn’t live that life.

That’s because the 7-foot redshirt junior left his native Estonia in high school to play for Real Madrid’s powerhouse youth club.

“I’ve definitely come off the bench in Madrid. That happened a lot,â€� Veesaar said Monday, after No. 19 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ beat Baylor 74-67 at Foster Pavilion. “We had a very talented team. We had a guy starting over me sometimes, and sometimes I started. I’m completely used to it.

“I just know whenever the moment comes, you have to show up and do your job and help your team win.�

All of those things happened Monday. Given the chance to start the first game of his ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ career, the 7-foot Veesaar collected 13 points, five rebounds and four assists to help the Wildcats snap a two-game losing streak.

Veesaar also made his way to the line six times to hit 4 of 6 free throws while teaming with center Tobe Awaka to make life miserable inside on both ends of the court for the undersized Bears, who had lost 6-10 center Josh Ojianwuna to a season-ending injury on Feb. 8.

Awaka added his sixth double-double of the season, collecting 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting while grabbing 12 rebounds. Together, the two big men complimented a perimeter attack that featured 13 points from Caleb Love and 11 from Anthony Dell’Orso, who had scored just 19 in his previous six games.

“I thought they were great,� UA coach Tommy Lloyd said of his bigs. “You know, Henri is turning into Hank right in front of our eyes. I’m super proud of him.�

Sitting next to Lloyd on the Foster Pavilion interview room, Veesaar grinned. So did Lloyd.

There’s a back story there: When he was first referred to as “Hank� at UA, Veesaar noted that he had never been called that shortened version in Estonia, and that it must be an American thing. So Lloyd may have been craftily suggesting that Veesaar was now becoming more comfortable with the American game — or that, in general, Veesaar was turning into a more rugged type of guy, a Hank kind of guy.

Whatever all that meant, the idea of starting Veesaar along with Awaka was a scenario Lloyd had long been envisioning and, probably, one that many UA fans had, too.

After all, Veesaar has shown signs of becoming a high-level player since the preseason, after sliding off the bench during his freshman season of 2022-23 and sitting out last season with an elbow injury.

Veesaar has particularly exploded during Big 12 play, no more so than when he had 19 points and seven rebounds in just 19 minutes off the bench the first time ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ played Baylor, when the Wildcats beat the Bears 81-70 on Jan. 14 at McKale.

“We knew how good Henri was,� Baylor coach Scott Drew said.

So, when the Bears popped up on the schedule again, the timing appeared perfect for Lloyd to give it a shot. He had seen previews of Veesaar and Awaka together when power forward Trey Townsend missed UA’s Feb. 8 game with Texas Tech and its Feb. 11 game at Kansas State because of a concussion.

But when Townsend started the next game, on Feb. 11 against Houston, Awaka picked up three fouls and Veesaar had four. That made it tough for Lloyd to keep them on the floor together.

So he tried again Monday.

Lloyd put Veesaar into the starting lineup for the first time in his career, and took Townsend out of the starting lineup for the first time in his career, which included four seasons as a full-time starter at Oakland.

“It’s been something that’s been on my mind for a while, and it’s no demotion for anyone,� Lloyd said. “I’ve been wanting to play this big lineup for a while, and when Trey went out, we got a few opportunities to try it a little bit more.

“Then (against Houston) I wanted to do it a little bit more, but I found once the flow of the game got going … I just didn’t find a sweet spot where I could play both of them together� because of fouls.

“So when I got home and started going through my thoughts, I thought this might be a good opportunity to try it. I don’t know if we’ll stick with it long term, but obviously for today, it was OK.�

Considering Lloyd’s history, unless the Wildcats hit another extended bumpy stretch, the change could be permanent. Over his previous three years at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Lloyd never made a lineup change after January, and he’s never been that coach who routinely changes starting lineups for matchup reasons.

No doubt, Veesaar would be fine with that. So would just about anybody.

“It feels amazing to start. Everybody wants to start,� Veesaar said. “I think this year I’m finally getting more opportunities to show what I can really do and capitalizing on them. I think coach is trusting me more compared to my freshman year, and I just need to show what I can do and help the team.

“But I’m happy to do whatever anybody wants me to do, whatever is best for the team. That’s what I want.�