CHICAGO, IL. — Yaxel Lendeborg will have a little extra motivation against Alabama in the Sweet 16.
Lendeborg played for the University of Alabama-Birmingham for two years in 2023-24 and 2024-25 before entering the NCAA Transfer Portal at the conclusion of last season. When he entered, he had hoped to stay in-state to play for Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide.
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Eventually, he settled on Michigan.
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“When I entered the transfer portal out of UAB, I was hoping to get recruited by Alabama. And when I didn’t, it kind of hurt me a little bit. Not in a way that I can say ‘I hate them.’ It just bothered me a little.”
Unfortunately for Lendeborg (or fortunately, depending on whether you root for Michigan or Alabama), the call from Alabama never came, so he eventually picked Dusty May and the Wolverines. Now the two programs will square off on Friday, March 26, in the Sweet 16 from the United Center.
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UAB’s Bartow Arena is about 57 miles from Alabama’s Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Lendeborg added that he is excited for Alabama and considers it a second home.
“There’s going to be juice for sure,” Lendeborg said of playing Alabama. “I know I’m going to try my best to be the best player on the floor tomorrow for sure. All it is extra motivation for sure, just not in the sense where I’m like, ‘this is what you guys missed on,’ but like you guys could have called at least, or something like that.”
Oats refuted that the Crimson Tide “never” recruited Lendeborg, but he did admit that the team was not as aggressive in its pitch.
“We did make a call,” Oats said. “It never got very deep. I think there were some programs that were in a little deeper with a lot more money at the time. It’s one of those, you kind of call, see where the situation is at. Probably wasn’t something we were going to be able to do, so we didn’t spend a lot of time on it.
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“… It wasn’t a lack of thinking he wasn’t a very good player. He was the best player in the portal.”
Lendeborg averaged 17.7 points per game for the Blazers during the 2024-25 season, to go along with 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. He’s averaged 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals for the Wolverines in 2025-26.
May said he will not get in the way of Lendeborg’s “revenge” game against Alabama.
“I think we’ve had several subplots this year and he seems to be performing well up to this point,” May said. “So whatever irritates him, I’m going to ride with that and support him.
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“Nate and I being friends, we talked through that process. And don’t tell Yax, but they did try to recruit him.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Alabama recruit Yaxel Lendeborg in transfer portal? What he said ahead of Sweet 16
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