The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544920
JUNE/JULY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 57 C azzie. Grant. Rice. Webber. Burke. This is the pantheon of Michigan men's basketball. They are arguably the top five Wolverines in program history. They are Big Ten Players of the Year, All-Americans, Final Four Most Outstanding Play- ers, Big Ten conquerors or national champions. Their lists of accolades are as long as the incredible heights to which they elevated the Maize and Blue in the sport. They made an indelible mark on the prestige of Michigan hoops during their mul- tiple years as Wolverines And now there is another name to add to that special group: Yaxel. Yaxel Lendeborg may have spent only one year in Ann Arbor, but he needed only one to cement himself as an all-time great. As the top- ranked prospect in the 2025 portal, the UAB transfer entered his final college season with sky-high ex- pectations and three major goals: to win the Big Ten title, to be voted as the Big Ten Player of the Year and to cut down the nets in April. Amazingly, Lendeborg met them all and more. He guided the Maize and Blue to debatably the most dominant Big Ten season in half a century while Michigan went 19-1 in conference play, went un- defeated on the road and won the league by a whopping four-game margin. He earned the Big Ten Player of the Year award and became just the sixth Wol- verine ever to be honored as a consensus first-team All-American. He led Michi- gan to a dominant NCAA Tournament run in which the Wolverines won their six games by an average of 19 points and captured the program's second national championship. And with no disrespect to Elliot Cadeau, Lendeborg likely would have been the Final Four Most Outstand- ing Player if he had not suffered knee and ankle injuries against Arizona in the national semis, which he gritted through for his teammates. Lendeborg was completely deserving of all those accomplishments, too. While his per-game averages (15.1 points, 6.8 re- bounds) may not have overwhelmed like a Cazzie Russell (30.8 PPG, 8.4 RPG), Glen Rice (25.6 PPG) or Chris Webber (19.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG), his offensive efficiency, versatility and unselfishness were daz- zling. He posted a 137.5 offensive rating. Not only was that the eighth-best rat- ing in all of college hoops last season, it is the highest offensive rating by any player with a usage rate of at least 20 percent in KenPom's database going back to 2003- 04. He could score inside, where he shot 63.9 percent on twos. He could score out- side, where he knocked down 37.2 percent of his threes for the season and 48.1 per- cent in the final 16 games of the year. He could initiate the offense from the point (17.9 AST%, 9.5 TO%). He could fill in at center when head coach Dusty May inserted four guards or wings to keep the other bigs fresh. Lendeborg's versatility also carried over to the other end of the floor. He was a critical cog for the country's most sti- fling defense. Michigan was first in ad- justed defensive efficiency because Lendeborg, center Aday Mara and forward Morez Johnson Jr. terror- ized opponents in the paint. The Maize and Blue had the second-best two-point defense (43.8 2PT%) and forced opponents to shoot the fourth-longest two-point tries (7.3 feet). Lendeborg's length bothered numerous shots, and he had a tal- ent for timing up nasty chase-down blocks in transition. He also could harass the other team's point guards by pressing them 94 feet away from the basket and staying in front of them. As such, Lendeborg was placed on the Big Ten's All-Defen- sive team. Lendeborg's impact was every- where on the floor but also off the floor. As the top transfer portal target, he easily could have been a prima donna and bended everyone to him. But he was the last thing from that. He was a goofball, a jokester, who was undeniably himself and just wanted to be one of the guys. His yearning to be part of a team helped bring everyone closer together — a team whose superpower was its connection as May often commented. And he also yearned to bring the fan base together, absorb- ing and learning the history of Michigan basketball in just one year. Like how he displayed the "Shock The World Boys Go Blue!" sign when he celebrated the na- tional title just like Rice did in 1988-89. Ann Arbor could have been a quick stop en route to the NBA. Instead, Lendeborg ensured it became a home to where he can always return as a hero. So, while Lendeborg was a transfer and did not wear a Michigan uniform for as long as the other Wolverine wonders, his stamp on Michigan basketball is as large as any of the greats before him. Cazzie. Grant. Rice. Webber. Burke. And now Yaxel. A most deserving Michi- gan legend. ❑ INSIDE THE NUMBERS ❱ DREW HALLETT Yaxel's Place In U-M's Pantheon Yaxel Lendeborg may have spent only one year in Ann Arbor, but he needed only one to cement himself as an all-time great at Michigan. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Drew Hallett has covered Michigan athletics since 2013. Contact him at drew.c.hallett@gmail.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @DrewCHallett.