INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan's star player, Yaxel "Mad Yax" Lendeborg, fought through knee and ankle injuries in the national championship game against UConn. Frustrated by his "awful" first-half performance, he was lifted by his teammates' encouragement.
Nimari Burnett, L.J. Cason, and Roddy Gayle rallied around him, with Gayle famously urging him to bring "Mad Yax, not Sad Yax." Lendeborg responded in the final six minutes, scoring 7 key points to help secure a 69-63 victory.
Lendeborg's journey to this moment was improbable, having nearly given up basketball for a warehouse job before his mother insisted he go to junior college. His perseverance capped a dominant season for Michigan (37-3), bringing the program its first national title since 1989.
Despite the pain, Lendeborg's grit defined the night. After the win, he shared an emotional hug with his mother, Yissel Raposo, who called her son "a warrior," before he took his turn cutting down the net.