Yaxel Lendeborg says Michigan Basketball program is 'NBA caliber'

Dusty May, who has proven to be an incredible recruiter, clearly sold Lendeborg on the opportunity in Ann Arbor. Although playing at UAB in the AAC conference helped Lendeborg make a name for himself, the reality is that it's a completely different animal playing in a loaded Big Ten conference. And when Lendeborg asked NBA executives and coaches about that opportunity during the draft process, he says the majority of them suggested developing for a year in the Big Ten.

"I spoke to NBA teams. A majority of them were saying that it wouldn't be a bad idea to come back here, develop a little bit more, play at a higher level to see what I'm capable of doing. And, you know, I've always asked that question to make sure. Because my mind was always like, I want to come to Michigan, but the NBA is the NBA. You have to go when you have the chance. So just hearing that type of feedback from the NBA teams is pretty much what helped me lean more toward Michigan."

Beyond the opportunity to develop for another year, Lendeborg says he knew Michigan was where he wanted to be when he made the visit back in April. Along with appreciating all that Ann Arbor has to offer, he says that the Michigan basketball program is "NBA-caliber".

"The city is amazing. It's pretty scenic, which is nice. And then when I came here, the facilities and stuff that you guys have here is amazing. I'm not used to having that many resources. UAB had good stuff for me to use as well, but obviously this is another level. This is all like NBA-caliber stuff for me in my eyes, so I'm not missing out that much."