UAB‘s Yaxel Lendeborg, the top big man in the NCAA transfer portal, has committed to Michigan, he told ESPN Saturday.

“I love the culture Dusty May has brought to every team that he’s coached,” Lendeborg said. “When I first started watching college basketball, it was FAU.”

Lendeborg, the No. 28 prospect in ESPN’s Draft projections, will also declare for the NBA Draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility. He says he is fully committed to first exploring the draft process, with the goal of securing assurances from an NBA team of a multi-year contract in order to forgo the opportunity to play at Michigan.

“I’m focused on the draft process and making the NBA right now,” Lendeborg said. “I want a guaranteed contract. That’s the biggest thing. Make sure I am in a good spot. I would prefer to play college basketball in Ann Arbor than be in and out of the G League on a two-way. I want to find a safe spot.”

First round draft choices receive four-year, rookie-scale contracts in the NBA, while many players selected in the top half of the second round also sign significant multi-year guarantees. The deadline to withdraw from the draft is ten days following the NBA Combine, which will be held from May 11-18 in Chicago. Lendeborg has until May 28 to make his decision on where he’ll play next season.

Lendeborg was one of the most productive players in college basketball, averaging 17.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 55% from 2-point range and 36% for 3. He helped lead UAB to the NIT Quarterfinals, becoming, along with Larry Bird, the only player in Division I history to post 600+ points, 400+ rebounds, 150+ assists in a single season.

He was named Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-AAC in each of the past two seasons, despite coming to UAB with little experience playing organized basketball.

Lendeborg says he played only 11 varsity high school games as a senior and was essentially forced to move across the country to a small Junior College in Arizona by his mother after standing out an exposure camp for Dominican players in New York.

“I was more into video games than basketball for most of my life,” Lendeborg told ESPN. “I would play 19 hours a day, it was a religion for me. I wasn’t the best student. My mom forced me to get on a plane to Arizona. That was the best thing that ever happened to me. I went from there to UAB, where Andy Kennedy was a father figure for me. This past summer was really the first time I ever had a real organized workout plan. I’m just scratching the surface on the player I can evolve into, and with more work I can reach that potential.”

Should Lendeborg withdraw from the draft, he will step into the void left by 7-footer Danny Wolf, a projected top-20 draft pick coming off a standout season at Michigan in which he alternated between playing point guard, power forward and center for Dusty May.

Lendeborg says Wolf’s success this season, and the heavy usage he saw pushing the ball off the defensive glass and facilitating the offense as a pick and roll ball-handler, played a part in his decision-making process.

“It’s amazing what Dusty May did with Danny Wolf,” Lendeborg said. “I would watch his games this season and say ‘man I wish that was me.’ I’m trying to bring the same type of versatility he brought to Michigan.”

Jonathan Givony is an NBA Draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams.