Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg says Sweet 16 game vs. Alabama comes with 'extra motivation' after the Crimson Tide didn't recruit him
Lendeborg, a top transfer out of UAB, said he was 'hoping' that Alabama would try to recruit him, and was 'kind of hurt' that they didn't.
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg is heading into the Sweet Sixteen with a little extra to prove. During a press conference on Thursday, Lendeborg revealed that Alabama, the Wolverines’ third-round opponent on Friday, was a school he was hoping to transfer to. Lendeborg entered the transfer portal last year after two years at University of Alabama-Birmingham, which included a memorable NCAA tournament appearance in 2024.
After entering the portal, the forward said that joining the Crimson Tide was high on his list, but that he wasn’t recruited by the team. “Once 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,” Lendeborg said, via multiple reporters.
“Not in a way where I can say I hate them and all that. It just bothered me a little bit. ” Instead, he ended up with the No.
1-seeded Wolverines, and gets a chance to get a little bit of revenge during Friday’s game against the No. 4 Crimson Tide. “All it is is extra motivation,” Lendeborg said.