Lendeborg, Coleman Announce Returns

Junior forwards Yaxel Lendeborg and Christian Coleman will return to UAB next season, they announced Tuesday afternoon.

"I want to thank the man above for blessing me with the ability to play this sport," Lendeborg wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. "It has given me the opportunity to make meaningful relationships and has also given my opportunities I couldn't even imagine."

"I also want to thank Blazer Nation, Coach Kennedy, Coach Cross, and all my teammates for taking me in from the moment I got here and making it feel like home. I am proud of this team and what we accomplished this season. Being a kid from JUCO, I would have never though I'd be an AAC champion or make it to the NCAA Tournament. With that being said, I don't think we are done. So Birmingham... YAX IS BACK!!!"

Coleman quote tweet Lendeborg's announcement with a statement of his own.

"Captain Coleman X Lord Lendeborg 📈 ..Let’s run it back !!!!!"

Lendeborg played at JUCO Arizona Western from 2020-2023, where he became the NJCAA's all-time leader in rebounds. The New Jersey native originally committed to St. John's, but reopened his recruitment after the firing of Mike Anderson, who happens to be a former UAB coach.

The forward signed with UAB in April 2023 alongside Arizona Western teammate Marquis Hargrove. Described by Andy Kennedy as having the potential to be "one of the greatest players in UAB history," Lendeborg lit the world ablaze his first year in Birmingham, averaging 13.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. He set the program records for most rebounds and most double-doubles in a season, was named to the AAC's first team, and was awarded the conference's Defensive Player of the Year trophy.

Lendeborg is the latest in a long line of Blazer stars to remain in Birmingham. The only UAB player to ever be plucked by a high-major school is Zisis "Big Z" Sarikopoulos, who averaged 6.8 minutes and 1.8 points per game for the Blazers in 2007-2008 and subsequently transferred to Ohio State.

Coleman had no college basketball offers out of high school, but a seven-inch growth spurt earned him an offer from NAIA LSU-Alexandria in 2020. After one stellar season with the program, the Louisiana native transferred to South Plains (TX), where he became the second-ranked junior college prospect in the nation. Coleman committed to UAB in late 2022.

The forward averaged 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Blazers this season, serving as UAB's first man off the bench. He started in all five of the team's postseason games and recorded 28 minutes in the Blazers' AAC championship victory over Temple.

Lendeborg and Coleman are the second and third Blazers to formally announce their plans for next season, joining the departing Barry Dunning.