Former Matador Lendeborg projected as first round pick in NBA Draft

Following a recent commitment to Michigan, the former AWC star may end up heading straight to the association

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yaxel Lendeborg, the former AWC men's basketball star who shined at UAB for the past two seasons, could find himself as a pro player sooner rather than later.

Following a commitment to transfer to Michigan, Lendeborg is still eligible to enter this June's NBA Draft, where some have him projected as a first-round pick.

According to his former coach at AWC, Kyle Issacs, Lendeborg should expect to hear his name called on draft night.

"If he ends up at Michigan, I'll honestly be surprised, I honestly think he'll get drafted and I think he'll go to the NBA next year, that's just my own prediction, take that for whatever you want," Issacs said.

So far, Issacs says he has been contacted by about half of the NBA's teams to get more background Lendeborg.

Lendeborg is coming off an impressive second year with the Blazers, averaging just over 17 points and 11 rebounds a game, also winning two AAC defensive player of the year awards in each season at UAB.

Those accolades have earned him draft interest, along with a rating as the transfer portal's top player, according to 247sports.com.

Even if he ends up heading to Ann Arbor, Issacs knows there's a bright future ahead for his former player.

"It's a great opportunity, Big 10 is a great league, I think that if he plays like he did at UAB and plays like he did here, he'll have a lot of great success there as well," Issacs said.

Of course, regardless of the next step for Lendeborg, having a player of his caliber come out of Arizona Western program is a big win for the program.

"We like to use (Lendeborg) as the example, from here it's possible, when we're doing these recruiting pitches, we're talking about how he was able to have success here, and obviously now moving on to the big show," Issacs said.

Lendeborg will now wait to see if his name is indeed read at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on June 25.