By Mallory Mattingly
The University of Michigan men’s basketball team secured the National Championship title after they beat UCONN 69-63 earlier this week.
Teammates Trey McKenney and Yaxel Lendeborg not only helped Michigan achieve the feat but also shared about their faith in Christ along the way.
“Everybody on this team is extremely talented,” McKenney said in the post-game press conference, “and for us to be able to sacrifice something for ourselves, a lot of us could be somewhere else doing more than what we’ve done this season, but I think it just shows that this team is super selfless. And I’ve never been around such a talented group of guys that are willing to take a lesser role for somebody next to them.”
“I’m just really grateful to be around this team, and I’m going to cherish this moment for the rest of my life,” he added.
Related: ‘All Glory to God’: Basketball Player Reflects on Unlikely Path to Leading No. 3 Michigan
He got to play the biggest game of his life on Resurrection Sunday, something that he’s grateful for.
“My grandfather is a pastor, and I grew up in the church all throughout my life. It’s kind of crazy this weekend because it’s one of my first weekends that I haven’t went to church on Easter Sunday,” he told CBN Sports ahead of the game. “It’s amazing to be able to be on this platform on such a great weekend. I just give all the glory to God while I’m here. He gave me this journey and this path to follow on, so I’m just really grateful and I’m really blessed for it.”
Lendeborg suffered a sprained MCL and ankle injury in the Final Four game against Arizona. But even with those injuries, he wasn’t going to miss a chance to play in the National Championship. He suited up and “played a team-high 36 minutes and scored 13 points,” according to Sports Spectrum.
“I knew there was no way I was going to miss this game, no matter what was going on,” Lendeborg shared at the press conference after the game. “I was very tentative this game. I felt like I was pretty much holding our team down…I kept having opportunities to make plays, and I couldn’t make the play.
“But these guys stuck with me no matter what. They all believed in me. I was trying to push through my mental and physical battle out there,” he continued.
Lendeborg credited his mother, Yissel Raposo, for her constant guidance in his life and for always pointing him back to his faith.
“It’s all a blessing to be honest with you,” the forward told MLive.com earlier in the season. “All glory to God and thank you to my mom as well for helping me out and digging me out of the hole that I was in.”
In the end, Michigan’s championship run was about more than just talent and perseverance — it was a testament to a team grounded in selflessness and faith.
Read Next: 4 March Madness Stars Who Put Faith First
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