Yaxel Lendeborg raves about Michigan basketball's unique culture

USA Today

14-07-2025

Dusty May had the big coup of the offseason in college basketball, managing to secure the rights to the top transfer in the portal in former UAB star Yaxel Lendeborg. However, most expected him to head to the NBA, so was May's gambit for naught?
It turned out not so, as Lendeborg chose the Wolverines over his NBA dreams, setting Michigan basketball up for what could be a Final Four run in May's second year at the helm.
For the first time since he officially signed with the maize and blue, Lendeborg met with the Michigan media, and he was quick to share what caught his attention in Ann Arbor when he was weighing out all of his options.
"The culture," Lendeborg said. "Seeing what Danny Wolf and Vlad were doing, coming from basically the same level as me, has been great. The role that Wolf played, too, was just something that I wanted to be a part of."
Now that he's getting acclimated, what stands out to him about being a Wolverine?
You often hear recruits across all sports talk about how they're looking for a place that feels like home, or something resembling a family atmosphere. In a way, that's what Lendeborg seems to have found, but more, in that everyone is real, and everyone is together within the program.
"How genuine everybody is," Lendeborg said. "Every day we lift, the whole staff is in there lifting with us, which is something I've never expected. That's amazing. There's a lot of energy coming in. Nobody's doing it like us, and nobody's doing it like us. It's interesting to be a part of. The music choice as well. Everybody still has the same kind of music, which is good, too. Nice little vibe in the weight room. It's all been great."
With that in mind, how is he fitting into his new digs? One thing he learned really fast is that he cannot just rest on his laurels or his star power to carry him through each play. In fact, given the state of competition, he has to bring it every single time he has the ball in his hands.
Otherwise, things don't exactly turn out so great.
"This whole group is real competitive," Lendeborg said. "First day of practice, they kind of just dug into me. I was trying to go for a layup. I'm getting bumped up my spine. I'm like, 'Oh, you guys are on edge 100%.' It's just something that's been taking a little bit of getting used to.
"I'm managing. I'm getting a little better. A lot of communication with the older guys has been great for me, too."
But Lendeborg is far from the only star or budding player in Ann Arbor. Of course, he picked what he knew to be a favorable situation, as he was looking for the opportunity to win big on top of elevating his draft stock.
What he's learned is that he's entered what appears to be a premium roster, especially considering how it's been bolstered by all of the transfers that have joined him with the program.
"It's an A-plus. -- it's crazy," Lendeborg said. "I was speaking about Aday (Mara) earlier. His passing skills have been amazing. I'm still surprised how tall he is every single day. It's crazy. We do layup drills, and I'm trying to take a layup. I'm thinking it's a good layup. He comes out of nowhere, blocks it, and I'm like, OK. How do I score on him?
"It's very interesting. I'm really happy. Morez (Johnson) as well, super athlete. My height jumping like 40 inches off the ground, it's been crazy."