Yaxel Lendeborg calls it a funny story.

He can do that now. Now that the 6-foot-8, 215-pound junior college All-American is on the other side of it. Now that the 2023 prospect has found the purpose and direction he couldn’t find in high school, where he amassed only 11 games of varsity basketball experience. Now that the Arizona Western College star has dozens of Division I coaches – Memphis' Penny Hardaway among them – clamoring for his services.

But Lendeborg’s story wasn’t always funny. Born in Puerto Rico, he moved with his mother, Yissel Raposo, to Cincinnati when he was 3 years old, then moved to Pennsauken, New Jersey, when he was 8. Baseball was his first love, because it was his grandfather’s passion, but it was clear early on that he was cut out for basketball.

Not everyone saw it that way.

“I didn’t make the basketball team until freshman year,” Lendeborg, 19, said. “Sixth, seventh, eighth grade, I tried out and never made it. I never really asked why. I guess I just wasn’t good enough.”

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He stuck with basketball, though, landing a spot on Pennsauken’s freshman squad. But the prior rejections left him disinterested in school. As a result, he was cut from the team midseason due to academic ineligibility and a years-long spiral ensued. Poor grades meant Lendeborg couldn’t play at all as a sophomore. His junior season came and went the same way.

“I didn’t really have the will to do school or better myself in general,” said Lendeborg, known as “Yak” to his junior college coaches and teammates. “I just didn’t think I was good enough for anything.”

Raposo tried repeatedly to snap her son out of it, only getting through to him the summer before his senior year. She worked out a dual-enrollment arrangement, where Lendeborg could take classes at nearby Camden County College and expedite his return to the basketball court. Lendeborg was added to the varsity roster in time for the team’s final 11 games of the season and sparked the Indians to a 10-1 record and a spot in the playoffs.

It was enough to catch the eye of Alex Arias, who invited Lendeborg to a camp in New York designed to specifically showcase Dominican players.

“I didn’t have anybody looking at me, obviously,” he said. “And I didn’t want to go, because I thought I would get embarrassed. (My family) basically forced me to go. I ended up being one of the top performers there.”

Word of his ability quickly spread all the way to Arizona, where Kyle Isaacs was an assistant coach for a Matadors team with one open scholarship. Isaacs, now the head coach, received rave reviews from former DePaul assistant and trusted friend Marc Hsu and convinced former coach Charles Harral to take a flyer on Lendeborg.

Good thing. As a freshman last season, Lendeborg averaged 12.2 points (on 60.7% shooting from the field), 11 rebounds (tied for 10th in the country) and 1.6 blocks in 29 games. He earned Arizona Community College Athletic Association Player of the Year and was a third-team All-American.

“He’s very unique, kind of a hybrid point forward,” said Isaacs. “He was our backup point guard, but we played him all over the floor. He’s just got such a great feel. Super unselfish. He’d rather have 12-plus rebounds, nine assists and two points. Which makes him popular in the locker room. He’s everybody’s favorite guy off the floor.”

That blend of skill and selflessness is now paying big dividends. After a strong showing at a premier junior college showcase last month in Las Vegas, Lendeborg’s stock skyrocketed. Since then, he has received offers from Memphis, Houston, Cincinnati, Xavier, VCU, San Diego, Iona and more.

“That camp was pretty much the best thing I could’ve asked for in my life,” said Lendeborg. “That’s when everything started coming in really fast. And that’s when more motivation came in. I started working out more than I ever have. I started to get a little bit of hope I could go somewhere with basketball.”

Lendeborg has not officially locked in any official visits, but Memphis, Houston and New Mexico are high priorities for him. An avid gamer, especially NBA2K, he said his go-to player is Hardaway.

“So I was just kind of in awe talking to him,” said Lendeborg. “I even practice his famous spin move, step-back. I talked to him once, when he gave me the offer and I was just kind of in awe. He just told me how he loves my game and that he thinks I’ll be a good fit for Memphis.”

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Yaxel Lendeborg: Memphis basketball recruit in just 11 varsity games