Yaxel Lendeborg discusses Michigan basketball roster, sets Final Four goal for 2025
Yaxel Lendeborg isn't wasting any time getting acclimated to Michigan basketball.
The No. 1 player in the transfer portal had committed to the Wolverines earlier in the process, despite still appearing to be NBA-bound as he departed UAB. Yet, he ended up withdrawing and will play in Ann Arbor for one season after all.
As it turns out, he already has a pretty good idea of what the roster looks like, what it can do, and how it can help him improve as a player.
"I feel like I have a pretty good knowledge of it right now," Lendeborg told Brian Boesch on the Defend the Block Podcast. "I know our bigs are really athletic, really long shot blockers. A lot of us are pretty good rebounders, so it's going to be a little bit of a battle on the boards.
"We have Elliot Cadeau, who's -- I think they said, the best passer, the best passer in college basketball, which is amazing as well. Something that I could probably try to take from him, just see what he sees on the floor, something to learn about. And, we have a lot of good shooters like Nimari Burnett. I think they said he shot 45 percent, which is ridiculous.
"We just got Trey (McKenney), (Mr.) Basketball -- you know, that's great. I haven't looked into many of the other guys as much, but I know that we have a good roster formulated, and we have a lot of length, which is something great as well."
Coming from UAB, Lendeborg isn't used to his team having high and lofty expectations. But the Wolverines are coming off a Big Ten Tournament championship and a Sweet 16 run. Now, those expectations are risin,g and the program is aiming higher.
With Lendeborg on the roster, that helps elevate the program, as well. And he's not shying away from heightened prospects when it comes to what the maize and blue can do in 2025-26.
"Oh, yeah. I'm super excited," Lendeborg said. "You know, "I feel like it's giving me more of a chip on my shoulder to try to be the best that I can be, just not let the fans down, not let the people that support us down, you know. So I am super excited. I'm happy to get up to that stage. I made a promise as well that I want to at least take us to the Final Four. So, I'm going to do whatever I can to get us there."
Lendeborg joins transfers Cadeau, Morez Johnson Jr., and Aday Mara, as well as freshmen McKenney, Winters Grady, and Patrick Liburd as new faces who will reshape the Michigan basketball roster in 2025-26.
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