Yaxel Lendeborg
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This seems like a more reasonable explanation of what actually happened. We were definitely interested and made a big huge offer. The other fact that is certain is he choose May/Michigan over Pope/UK. He gave his reasons and you need to accept what they were even if you think the numbers we off. Plus he isn't the only high level recruit in the last two years that have said thanks but no thanks to Pope.
I wished it wasn't true. I wish this Mark Pope era was just a bad dream. But the fact remains, that he took some less amount of money to go to Michigan and you have to accept the reasons he gave to make that decision even if you disagree with the exact money difference.
The exact money difference DOES make a difference. If he opts for Michigan for slightly less money but feels more comfortable there, I get it. But to claim he turned down an EXTRA $4-5 million is ridiculous and will be used to make UK look bad.
I agree the main point was to praise his coach. I just don’t understand why praising his coach has to include specifically calling out UK with a specific number. Just seems like that aspect was calculated but maybe I’m wrong.
My bigger point though was no matter who the coach is, UK as a program needs to nip this kind of open disrespect in the bud. No way to explain away Golden making his little comment in the presser after the Senior Day loss except that he wanted to take a shot (due to Aberdeen or whatever reason). Pope needs to fire back, and not with that lame BS he pulled with the refs after Auburn.
As for the number my guess is UK offered him 3-4m and said that he could earn up to the 7-9 range so he probably isn’t technically lying but it’s more like a lie of omission that there were contingencies. That in my mind lines up with some of the stuff we’ve heard about agents being turned off by UK. Their deals are good but there’s the backend potential stuff where maybe elite guys just want a guarantee.
All of that to say that UK recruiting is a train wreck right now. I think one of the first steps (of many) to right the ship is to let it be known you aren’t going to publicly talk s hit about UK without some repercussions. Even if Pope gets canned after this season we need to, in the immortal words of Eric Bledsoe, “get s hit right” regardless.
If UK really did offer that much, which I HIGHLY DOUBT, every agent on the planet should be calling Pope whether to get their guys a big deal with UK or for leverage with other schools.
First, I don't believe Yaxel for a second.
Secondly, Yaxel committed to Michigan on April 5, 2025, signing on May 27. The JMI extension with Kentucky Athletics causing the problems that national folks have written about was signed on August 11, 2025, more than four months after Yaxel's commitment to Michigan.
JMI's hurdles were not in effect for another four months. There is enough evidence that the new JMI agreement is not helping. I also believe that Pope is a poor recruiter. Two strikes...
Secondly, Yaxel committed to Michigan on April 5, 2025, signing on May 27. The JMI extension with Kentucky Athletics causing the problems that national folks have written about was signed on August 11, 2025, more than four months after Yaxel's commitment to Michigan.
JMI's hurdles were not in effect for another four months. There is enough evidence that the new JMI agreement is not helping. I also believe that Pope is a poor recruiter. Two strikes...
I agree we're having a bad year but no, I don't think my program sucks. I think a poser like you sucks. I do think it's BS in the first place why would he say 7 to 9,000,000 instead of just pick the higher number . This is that ******** or we would've heard about this way before. But let's look at you for a second what is with your holier than thou every UK fan but you sucks because we don't hate Pope. You're simply a pathetic piece of ****.
You know damn well he was talking about college. And getting to the NBA and this was under the former coaches watch not Pope. People wanna kick us while we're down what bothers me it so-called fans are helping them kick.
But the numbers are the whole thing here.
If we offered 4.25 million and Michigan got him for 4 million, it's ok. It's "normal" for a guy to take "a little less" to go somewhere else they'd rather be. That doesn't concern me. That doesn't scream that we're doomed. It sounds like we're being competitive on money. And if you're competitive on money, then it comes down to which coach they connect with moreso. And it's not like this was Kentucky v Miami of Ohio.
I don't think recruiting is as simple as "We offered a little more, so we're going to win" for any school.
If we offered 9 million and Michigan offered 3 million--and he said "I don't care what Kentucky offers me, I'd rather go to Michigan for 1/3 of the money." Well, that's the "raise the alarm" situation. Because--my god, kids won't take triple the money from Mark Pope? You're never going to get players.
But I also don't believe Yaxel--a kid who has never made any money--went through the NBA process to see where he stood--made the decision to come back to college (presumably because the NIL is better than the NBA money for him) and decided to take 1/3 of what he could actually here. I also don't think his agent decided not to leverage Michigan as much as humanly possible. If they could get 9 at Kentucky, they could get a lot more than 1/3 of that from a dozen schools. If we spent 22 million on this roster, I absolutely do not believe were out there offering 9 million for 1 player. Dybantsa reportedly cost 7 million at BYU. I think a lot of players would have taken a 7 or 9 million dollar offer, even from someone as awful as Mark Pope.
And again, for what it's worth, all of the internet chatter a year ago was that Yaxel and his agent wanted up front guaranteed money to even commit. And then he might still go to the NBA and keep your money. I don't know that it's true or not true. But It's more believable than he turned down an extra 6 million because he just didn't like Mark Pope.
And ALSO again, Mark Pope was much more popular this time last year. We were a 3 seed. We had gone to the Sweet 16 with the Island of misfit toys. We had a big man playing point guard for half of the season. Michigan was a 5 seed that went to the Sweet 16. We see Pope as this failure of a coach. But he had a better regular season and NCAA seeding than Dusty last year. So I find it hard to believe--that a year ago--Yaxel was so repulsed by the guy that had earned a better NCAA seed and was letting his big man run the entire offense, that he left 6 million on the table.
Is it true you had an camero Irok in high school and changed the lettering on the side to Irex?
My question is why would he lie to throw Kentucky of all programs under the bus? It’s not like we’ve been world beaters lately. I’d get if he was flinging **** at Duke or zona I guess.
People are gullible, naive, and just generally ignorant if they believe this to be true.
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Matt Jones said that the amount Yaxel claimed he was offered wasn’t true. I figured he made it up and I’m glad that someone that knows a lot that goes on behind the scenes commented on it. Pope isn’t winning like we want him to, but he’s not bad enough that a player would turn down that much money
We are hearing (from Stokes camp) that Pope is offering Stokes the same level of money that Yaxel was offered. Hmmm
If you believe this then you also believe Louisville offered Oweh $23 million or whatever it was to come this year.
Considering the rumors that we’re offering Stokes a couple million more than Kansas, if he commits to them, it’s clear that players are willing to make millions less to get away from Pope.
JMI is absolutely a major problem. The fact that a kid that we had all but signed ended up parting ways with us when it came time to iron out the NIL situation should tell you that. If that wasn’t enough, he then sent out a tweet after signing a NIL deal with Crocs saying if you see him sign nil deals then it’ll only be with companies or products that he wants to sign with and that nobody is telling him who he signs deals with.
Exactly. At the time Pope was riding high with a bunch of momentum from the season and from improved draft stock of Amari, Brea, and Butler. On the other hand May had really done nothing except get hot late in the year and win the big ten tournament. But he absolutely had zero edge on Pope as far as nba development.
This is just a kid trying to make himself look better while recruiting for Michigan. There’s just too many things that don’t add up. I’m probably one of Popes biggest detractors but this is a bs story.
Smh. Moron Mitch hadn’t signed that JMI deal at that point.
To make himself look better. They don’t have to be rivals. Using Kentuckys name brings clout. But he likely brought it up and said it because they’re in the same bracket.
If it really wasn't about the money, like Yaxel says, then why did he accept any NIL to go to Michigan? If it's really all about Dusty and dreams and **** then he should give back all the money.
That UK's arrangement with JMI is not helping UK or Pope recruit. It is hindering it.
we are dumpster diving for terrible euro players........yet people are wrapped around whether it was 5M, 7M, or 9M. players.....anyone with a pulse.....is turning us down. common denominator.....players dont want to play for pope.
BS! The current players seem to like him. No one, not even you, knows why we have missed out on our top targets.
we are recruiting a 23 year british point guard that averages 8ppg from an itlian league who shoots 43% from the floor and 25% from three.......
sure, keep believing we don't have a pope problem.
So we have posters like fat man and some loser rival fan from Louisville, saying mark pope is a dork, awful hire etc. Same morons are on an internet board with man titties thinking they can coach better than pope. We are without a pg which yeah that can be on pope and offering jq a spot for 2 million yeah.
Most of you are butthurt over Arkansas winning sec title. We beat them this year by the way. They had to beat Oklahoma, ole miss and vandy to win title. Whoopadee doo. Same Arkansas got killed by Florida. They got better freshmen this year but every year freshmen won't matter.
Next year we'll see if we can get the roster worked out and no injuries. This year no one has committed because maybe maybe we have still 11 players committed.
Most of you are butthurt over Arkansas winning sec title. We beat them this year by the way. They had to beat Oklahoma, ole miss and vandy to win title. Whoopadee doo. Same Arkansas got killed by Florida. They got better freshmen this year but every year freshmen won't matter.
Next year we'll see if we can get the roster worked out and no injuries. This year no one has committed because maybe maybe we have still 11 players committed.
But it’s not public money, instead NIL money all comes from private donors.
The argument that “state school” requires full disclosure only applies when taxpayer money is implicated. That ain’t the case here.
Stop sucking Mark Pope’s member. It’s f*cking weird. He has no clue who you are.
That’s terrible, in an era where guys chase the biggest bag and we have the largest by 2-3 times and they don’t want it? Shewww.
You are cal with your man tits. Stop sucking in real life. You like most of these couch coaches are beyond ignorant. Just because your fat, you are miserable and your opinion is irrelevant on a message board.
I don't suck balls. You suck cal or whatever rival teams coach you root for. I have balls you being so fat,you haven't seen your balls in years. You couldn't coach a team to the tourney without a pg. You lame *** calipari fan boy. Go kneel for calipari and his players
Let’s hope we don’t have 11 returning. Need about 5-6 to come back and some upgrades for the rest.
Yeah I assume they won't. I assume people like johnson, mo d, garrison, jelavic will be gone but I have no idea...
It didn't sound like he really considered us enough to know the exact amount which to me is the bigger problem. Players commit because he feels comfortable with the deal and the coach. If the money was only slightly more he still did not want to play for POPE.
This board is hilarious. According to posters on this thread, Pope has offered a recruits more money than any other team but JMI is the problem?
Fans and websites have worked the ignorant into a frenzy. And, some fans just want to always be in a state of frenzy.
It’s possible that players don’t want to come here because of the fans.
Fans and websites have worked the ignorant into a frenzy. And, some fans just want to always be in a state of frenzy.
It’s possible that players don’t want to come here because of the fans.
So at this point last year…Pope had Amare Williams go from nobody to Celtics draft pick
koby Brea had a nice year for the suns
I mean I just don’t get that kids won’t develop at Ky
Additionally, Pope was credited for advancing J Robinson’s career and making him an NBA prospect. I think DA made a personally good decision to come to UK. I don’t think he would have had the run at PG he has had at UK had he stayed at UF. His game has advanced tremendously over the course of the season. Chandler and Moreno have also improved greatly under the tutelage of this staff.