Michigan Wolverines basketball star Yaxel Lendeborg made an interesting revelation on Friday. In the press conference after their Sweet 16 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide, he was asked about his mom’s contributions to his on-court success.
Lendeborg credited his mom for being his strongest and loudest supporter. He also revealed how her presence in the stands elevates his game and makes him play more aggressively.
“It means the world to me,” Lendeborg said. “None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for her, you know. Helping me out and believing in me more than I believed in myself. Majority of the times, when she’s here, and she’s in the stands, I feel like, I get a lot more aggressive. She has this, like, certain calling that she does whenever I get the ball. And it’s like, I can hear nobody else in the stadium but her. And it like, puts me in attack mode, honestly.”
“There were many times today where I was looking at, pass the ball, I hear the noise, and it’s like, I must have an opening that I don’t see. So I just go. So, if something happens, something happens. I’m gonna continue to keep playing hard whenever she’s here and continue to make sure that she gets to watch me play in college as long as she can,” he added.
The Michigan Wolverines booked their spot in the Elite Eight after a 90-77 victory over Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide on Friday. Yaxel Lendeborg was the top performer for his team with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. In 36 games this season, he’s averaged 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
Yaxel Lendeborg Makes Bold Claim About Michigan in March Madness
In the postgame press conference, Yaxel Lendeborg made a bold claim about his team, saying he believes they are the best program in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
“We dictated the tempo,” Lendeborg said. “We let them control the game for the first half. We can’t get into an offensive matchup with these guys (Alabama), they are all too talented. We just had to slow the game down and get a little bit more physical. I feel like we’re the best team in college basketball. We might be the best Michigan team ever. We’re gonna try to go for that. We’re just gonna continue playing our brand of basketball and continue to try to keep winning.”
Michigan will face the winner of the Iowa State vs. Tennessee game in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
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