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How Yaxel Lendeborg is finding his fit with Michigan basketball
How Yaxel Lendeborg is finding his fit with Michigan basketball

New York Times

time6 days ago

  • Sport
  • New York Times

How Yaxel Lendeborg is finding his fit with Michigan basketball

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Yaxel Lendeborg walked off the court after one of his first practices at Michigan, looking like a 6-foot-9 sponge that was ready to be wrung out. Eventually, all of this will be second nature: the cuts, the screens, the mix of structure and free-flowing improvisation. Right now, Lendeborg is still soaking it all in, still absorbing. He showed a trace of tentativeness as the Wolverines ran through their offensive sets, a hint of surprise when coach Dusty May stepped into the drill and whipped a behind-the-back pass in his direction. There was another moment when the clouds parted and Lendeborg, the No. 2 player in The Athletic's transfer portal rankings, soared above everyone for a one-handed dunk. Advertisement 'It's a lot of different play calls that I'm not really used to, so I'm having to get adjusted to that,' said Lendeborg, a transfer from UAB who opted for Michigan over the NBA Draft. 'There's certain times when I'm just looking around and I'm, like, confused on where I've got to be. I feel like I'll get there in a week or so. I'm getting a little closer now.' Lendeborg isn't the only one who's adjusting. Much as he did in Year 1, May constructed a roster that's heavy on transfers and freshmen, supported by a few returning players in key roles. Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin, the 7-footers who carried Michigan to the Sweet 16, are gone. So is point guard Tre Donaldson. And yet, expectations are firmly in place for an even deeper postseason run. Nimari Burnett, Will Tschetter, Roddy Gayle and L.J. Cason are back from last year's team, joined by five-star freshman guard Trey McKenney. Michigan added point guard Elliot Cadeau from North Carolina in hopes of solving last year's turnover struggles. Aday Mara, a 7-3 center who transferred from UCLA, provides size and rim protection, and Illinois transfer Morez Johnson is a 6-9 powerhouse in the paint. Lendeborg, a double-double machine who averaged 17.7 points and 11 rebounds last year at UAB, is the player who ties it all together. He committed to Michigan in April while also testing the NBA waters. Unlike other coaches, Lendeborg said, May didn't try to talk him out of the draft or make promises about turning him into a lottery pick. Michigan would have a good team either way, May told him, but Lendeborg was the player who could make it great. 'He said (I'm) basically like the queen on the chessboard,' Lendeborg said. 'Basically like a Danny Wolf role, trying to do the same things he was doing.' Much of Michigan's success last season came from creating mismatches with Wolf, a 7-foot point-forward who was drafted with the No. 27 pick by the Brooklyn Nets. Lendeborg isn't as tall but has similarities as a do-it-all big man who's capable of initiating offense. Cadeau described him as a 'pro playing college basketball,' and his versatility makes an impact on every column on the stat sheet. Advertisement Michigan has started to experiment with using Lendeborg as a creator in ball-screen sets with another big man, May said, similar to the way the Wolverines used Wolf last year. If this works, it will be further proof that Michigan has found its niche as a program that creates unconventional frontcourt matchups that most teams on the schedule aren't built to defend. 'I think there will be times that we roll out a really, really rare big lineup,' May said. 'There's going to be other times when we play small and quick and have one of our really skilled guys at the five. We're going to have to figure out who plays the best with who and try to align those minutes.' Building a team this way comes with tradeoffs. The Wolverines had one of the nation's best frontcourts last season but weren't a particularly good 3-point shooting team and ranked near the bottom of Division I in turnover rate. Though Michigan didn't add lights-out shooting in the offseason, May is banking on a bounce-back season from Gayle, continued efficiency from Burnett, development from Cason and enough shooting from the rest of the roster to win games in the Big Ten. The turnover issue was more vexing. May and his staff studied the problem in the offseason but didn't find many patterns behind the random, careless turnovers that plagued the Wolverines last year. Cadeau, a five-star prospect from the Class of 2023, had turnover troubles of his own at North Carolina, but he also had one of the best assist rates in the country. May said Cadeau's quickness and creativity as a facilitator jumped out immediately during summer practices. 'Last year, we were turning the ball over at this time, and we turned it over all year,' May said. 'We had to find other ways to win. This year, the turnover issue, after such a small sample size, has been cleared up simply through roster construction.' Advertisement As much as Michigan wanted to be balanced, much of the scoring load fell on Wolf last season. The Wolverines hope to have more options this year, but it won't be a surprise if the offense runs through Lendeborg. He was projected as a borderline first-round pick and performed well enough at the NBA Draft Combine to consider staying in the draft. Ultimately, he decided that having a year at Michigan to assert himself as an elite player would put him in the best position for a long NBA career. Lendeborg, who played his first three seasons at Arizona Western College, never followed the gilded path of a five-star recruit. He's discovering what he can do, along with everyone else. That means coming to terms with his own talent and thinking of himself as the best player on the floor, a realization that didn't hit him until somewhat recently. 'That's been a big thing for me,' Lendeborg said. 'I never feel like I belong on the court.' Through a few weeks of summer practices, Lendeborg is starting to feel at home. The game is still moving fast, but now that he has had some time with his new teammates, he's pretty sure he's in the right place. 'It seems like everybody's unselfish,' Lendeborg said. 'That's really new to me. I've had a lot of guys who wanted every shot, to be the man. I feel like nobody here wants to be the man. Everybody just wants to win. That's something I'm really happy to be a part of.' (Top photo courtesy of Michigan Athletics)

Dusty May defends Juwan Howard's ‘misfortune' with Michigan basketball
Dusty May defends Juwan Howard's ‘misfortune' with Michigan basketball

Yahoo

time6 days ago

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

Dusty May defends Juwan Howard's ‘misfortune' with Michigan basketball

The post Dusty May defends Juwan Howard's 'misfortune' with Michigan basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints. Dusty May is the new head coach of the Michigan basketball team, and so far, it looks like the Wolverines nailed the hire. May led Michigan to a Big Ten Tournament title and Sweet 16 berth in his first season, and after what happened under Juwan Howard the year prior, it was an incredibly impressive turnaround. Advertisement Juwan Howard became the head coach of the Michgan basketball team after the 2018-19 season when John Beilein went to the NBA. At first, things started off great for Howard. His first season was cut short due to COVID, but Michigan would've made the NCAA Tournament comfortably. Year two was when Howard and the Wolverines took off. Michigan won the Big Ten and went to the Elite 8 during Howard's second season, and it looked like the Wolverines had found their long-term head coach. However, everything went downhill from there. The Wolverines got worse and worse under Howard, and his final season was a disaster. Michigan won just eight games, and Howard was fired at the conclusion of the season. That brought Dusty May to Ann Arbor, and he recently defended Howard during an appearance on Andy Katz's podcast. 'Juwan Howard—he had some misfortune, I would call it,' May said. 'Where just some things didn't go right, and then he had the health issue. Juwan Howard can coach basketball. His first couple of years, they were as good as any team in the country and he was National Coach of the Year. Some things happened, it didn't work out, but his love for Michigan is much much deeper than that team (that he coached) or that current moment. And it's been like that across the board. The people who are associated with Michigan take a lot of pride in the brand and the block M, and it's our responsibility to make all of those guys proud with the way we compete and play.' Advertisement Now, Juwan Howard is back in the NBA coaching with the Brooklyn Nets. The Michigan basketball team seems to have knocked it out of the park with the Dusty May hire, and the future looks bright as the Wolverines have some of the best odds in the country to make the Final Four next season. Related: Auburn basketball star guard arrested for DUI Related: Jon Scheyer has 'never seen anything like' Cedric Coward's NBA Draft rise

Michigan Basketball Makes Cut For 5-Star Son of Ex-Michigan State Hoops Star
Michigan Basketball Makes Cut For 5-Star Son of Ex-Michigan State Hoops Star

Yahoo

time09-07-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

Michigan Basketball Makes Cut For 5-Star Son of Ex-Michigan State Hoops Star

Michigan Basketball Makes Cut For 5-Star Son of Ex-Michigan State Hoops Star originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Michigan Wolverines' basketball program added several recruits seemingly out of nowhere this offseason including on Tuesday when 7-foot-3, 230-pound Danish center Marcus Möller announced his intention to join coach Dusty May's class of 2026. Advertisement May's program previously secured a pledge from Yaxel Lendeborg, the nation's top portal player, Morez Johnson Jr. of Illinois and more players. The Wolverines were in the college hoops news cycle again on Tuesday as the five-star son of a well known former Michigan State basketball star announced his list of top 10 schools. Jaxon Richardson dunks during a game in Ft. Myers, Florida in Dec. 2024. © Andrew West/The News-Press / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "5 (star emoji) Jaxon Richardson has included Michigan in his top 10 schools - but not Michigan State," the page College Basketball Report said Tuesday. "His brother (Jase) Richardson was just drafted in the first round, and his father was a lottery pick - both out of MSU," the page added. Advertisement "Come make yourself a legend in Ann Arbor," one fan said with a sloped 'M' emoji. "What do you expect. There's no loyalty in the current landscape of college sports. It's all about the $$$," a second said. "MSU," a third added. "This was news like 2 years ago lol," a fourth added. "I wouldn't have that poverty program in my top 10 either," a fifth said. "This is a surprise to nobody lol," a Spartans fan page added. A 6-foot-6, 200 pound small forward from Columbus High School in Miami, Florida, Richardson has Alabama, Michigan, Cincinnati and USC among his top 10. He is the son of 14-year NBA veteran Jason Richardson, who played at Michigan State during his college years. Advertisement "They reach out to me almost every day. So that really means a lot to me," Richardson said according to ZAGSBLOG. "Just when I went up there, getting to see the style of play, the ball movement they have there is ridiculous. "So that's definitely something I took away from there." Related: Former Michigan Hoops Star Jon Teske Shares Major Personal Announcement This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.

Michigan Basketball Transfer Leads Team USA to FIBA Gold Medal With Strong Performance
Michigan Basketball Transfer Leads Team USA to FIBA Gold Medal With Strong Performance

Yahoo

time07-07-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

Michigan Basketball Transfer Leads Team USA to FIBA Gold Medal With Strong Performance

Michigan Basketball Transfer Leads Team USA to FIBA Gold Medal With Strong Performance originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Michigan Wolverines hauled in one of the top transfer portal classes in the nation this offseason under the guidance of head coach Dusty May and his supporting staff, netting star forward Yaxel Lendeborg and athletic Illinois big man Morez Johnson Jr. among others. Advertisement On Sunday, Johnson Jr. turned in a performance to remember with the American U19 FIBA World Cup team as he stuffed the stat sheet while helping the United States to a gold medal game win over Germany. Johnson Jr.'s double double performance caught attention on social media as fans began to ponder the possibilities for him on Coach May's team. Former Illinois F and Michigan transfer Morez Johnson Jr. shoots vs. Kentucky in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. © Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images "Congratulations to @umichbball's Morez Johnson Jr., who helped lead Team USA to gold at the U19 FIBA World Cup," Alejandro Zuniga wrote on X. "Morez Johnson Jr. had a double-double against Germany in the championship game: 15 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes. Advertisement "A Michigan Beast," one fan wrote with a .GIF of ex-Wolverine Jordan Poole after a big play. "Congrats to the US team. Germany in the top 2. We have come a long way," one fan wrote under a video of the gold medal game, congratulating the Americans. Another fan gave Johnson an "honorable mention" in the comments section of a YouTube video of the game, saying they wished he had stayed with the Fighting Illini. "We're still the best in the world," another fan wrote. "Don't let them tell you otherwise," they added with trophy and gold medal emojis. Related: Big Changes Coming to Michigan Offense, QB Bryce Underwood Reveals This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.

Heat Sign 7-Foot-1 Center as Trade Rumors With Lakers Swirl
Heat Sign 7-Foot-1 Center as Trade Rumors With Lakers Swirl

Yahoo

time04-07-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

Heat Sign 7-Foot-1 Center as Trade Rumors With Lakers Swirl

Heat Sign 7-Foot-1 Center as Trade Rumors With Lakers Swirl originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Although he didn't hear his name called by the commissioner or deputy commissioner during the 2025 NBA Draft, former Michigan standout Vlad Goldin will still get an opportunity to prove he belongs at the highest level. Advertisement As announced by the Heat on social media, the team has signed Goldin to a two-way deal. The 7-foot-1 big man out of Russia made stops at Texas Tech, FAU, and Michigan during his time at the college ranks. Although he played in just 10 games in Lubbock, he really blossomed during his stint with FAU. He was named third-team All-CUSA in 2023 when he helped Lead the Owls to the Final Four, and was named second-team All-AAC the following year. After following head coach Dusty May to Michigan, Goldin was a dominant force in the Big Ten. Goldin averaged 16.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, helping Michigan make it to the Sweet 16. His strong season saw him named first-team All-Big Ten, and also brought home Big Ten Tournament MVP honors. Advertisement Michigan head coach Dusty May shakes hands with center Vladislav Goldin (50).Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images His addition comes as the Heat are currently deep in trade talks with the Lakers, centered around a package that includes Andrew Wiggins. With the Heat having both Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware, Goldin may not be needed to do too much as a rookie, but players with size are always a plus in the NBA. He will have a chance to prove his worth during the upcoming NBA Summer League. Related: Heat's Steep Trade Price For Lakers to Land Andrew Wiggins Revealed This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.

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