The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540586
NOVEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 43 played them, I asked my coach if I could get a picture with him. They're all like, 'No, we're about to play them. You'll look stupid.' It was a little funny for me, but I definitely did want to take that picture." Lendeborg never got his photo. Not then, at least. Now he can have all he wants — team pictures, player-coach, promotional photos, and if all goes right, a memorable shot or 100 from a run in the NCAA Tournament. The No. 1 player in the college basket- ball transfer portal last winter, Lend- eborg faced a choice. He could pursue an NBA dream immediately. Or, he could get that photo with Dusty May, and become a central figure in a pic- ture of a loaded national contender. He chose the latter, and now stares down an impending season he hopes will be frame-worthy. "I'm super excited to be here," Lend- eborg said. "He's been a really good coach, telling me everything I need to know and more. He's just harping on me a lot, making sure he holds me account- able. It's been great." May feels great about Lendeborg's presence as well. The ability to slot a 6-foot-9, 240-pound talent into an already imposing lineup never hurts. That's especially so when the grad stu- dent in question is coming off a season in which he became one of only two Di- vision I basketball players to ever record 600 points, 400 rebounds and 150 as- sists in a single season. The other? Larry Bird, the legend who did it at Indiana State in 1979, the year he led the Syca- mores to the NCAA title game before becoming an all-time great in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. So, May welcomed someone whose game he already knew well into the Michigan picture for 2025-26. "He was a thorn in our side, and they were one of the better teams in the league," May recalled. "We always felt like when we played them, it was two of the more talented teams in the league. Yaxel had some really unique abilities. We knew he was a really good player, and he could drive it and score in a number of ways. He could get to loose basketballs, he was an excellent rebounder. We just felt like he got better every year." For someone who never picked up a basketball in earnest until he was 15, and who played a grand total of 11 high school games, that's saying a lot. Lend- eborg honed his late-developing skills from two years at Western Arizona Ju- nior College to two standout seasons at UAB, and now gets to experience a bright-lights finish in Crisler Center and beyond. "We felt like his ceiling was extremely high," May said. "Putting him in the environment to play against the size, strength and athleticism of our roster would help him. But yeah, it's odd to think he's playing with us. I do think he admired the way our guys play the game and how connected our group was at FAU, so there was a mutual respect from both of us." SKILL AND VERSATILITY Lendeborg appears the perfect fit for a Michigan lineup that should feature considerable flexibility. He can guard almost anyone, from the Wolverines' seven-footers down low to quick ball handlers. He can bring the ball up the court himself, score or give it up for an assist with equal satisfaction. He can penetrate or bang a little against the big boys, when called upon to do so. That sort of versatility sticks out to any coach, and May's assistants cer- tainly appreciate what Lendeborg will add to the mix. "Yaxel is a player that can play one through five," noted assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen. "He can bring the ball up the court, he can go in the post. He's really versatile. Not only is he versatile on offense, he's versatile on defense. He can go out one through five. "He played at a big-time program at UAB. They didn't have as much depth as we have, so he's got to go on all dif- ferent sides. Some days he's guarding [junior point guard] Elliot Cadeau, some days he's guarding [7-3 junior center] Aday [Mara]. So, he's getting better at guarding different types of players. He's guarding different players than he did at UAB, and even in the league. He guarded mostly fours and fives in the conference, but now he'll have to be able to guard one through five." That well-roundedness will take him a long way at Michigan, assistant Drew Williamson noted. "He can do a little bit of everything," Williamson said. "The thing we've learned the most is just how unselfish ❱ U-M assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen "Yaxel is a player that can play one through five. He can bring the ball up the court, he can go in the post. He's really versatile. Not only is he versatile on offense, he's versatile on defense." 2025-26 BASKETBALL PREVIEW Lendeborg is coming off a campaign at Alabama-Birmingham in which he joined the legendary Larry Bird (Indiana State, 1979) to become one of only two Division I basketball players to ever record 600 points, 400 rebounds and 150 assists in a single season. PHOTO BY ZACH IRVINE