INDIANAPOLIS – What’s March without some Latino Madness at the Final Four? Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg leads the No. 1 seed. Malachi Smith plays a key backup role at UConn. Illinois associate head coach Orlando Antigua played a key role recruiting the Fighting Illini’s Eastern European stars.
Hundreds of thousands of fans have descended on Indianapolis for the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium and the festivities in Indianapolis. You best believe there will be plenty of Dominican Republic flags and some Puerto Rican flags too, considering Lendeborg is a proud Dominican American, Antigua is a Dominican native, and Smith’s father is Puerto Rican.
Four storied college basketball programs will compete Saturday evening for a shot at playing in the NCAA Tournament National Championship on Monday night. Lendeborg and the Wolverines will face fellow No. 1 seed Arizona. Illinois will face UConn in the second semifinal of the night.
Duel of No. 1 seeds
“We were pretty much chasing Arizona all year,” Lendeborg said. “They were the No. 1 team pretty much the whole season. Everyone thought they were the No. 1 team. We thought we were the No. 1 team, so we were all pretty much anticipating this matchup.
Arizona and Michigan last won men’s basketball national titles in 1997 and 1989, respectively. Michigan is led by Lendeborg, the Naismith Player of the Year Finalist. The Dominican senior forward who will be on an NBA franchise in two months.
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“He’s obviously an elite talent,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said of Lendeborg. “You put the skill with those physical tools, and it looks to me like he’s got that alpha dog in him. … And I’m sure he’s going to be a household name in basketball for a long time.”
Arizona is led by freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat, who are both expected to be lottery picks in the NBA Draft in June.
UConn chases third title in four years
UConn has won two of the last three national championships. Illinois, which last reached the Final Four in 2005, enters the game as favorites.
Much of the Illinois success this year can be attributed to their international recruiting efforts, particularly “The Balkan Bloc,” a group of six players from Eastern Europe.
Antigua, who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the Bronx, is credited for much of Illinois’ international recruiting efforts. From his time playing to coaching, the game of basketball has had him travel and build relationships in more than 60 countries.
“Our goal was to find talent in basketball countries, kids that know the game,” he said. “It was a lot of years of building the relationships, building trust, and also having a coach like (Brad Underwood) that embraces that international component. …
“We recruit heavily from the Caribbean as well. Lucas Morillo from the Dominican Republic will be an Illini next season.”
Repping Puerto Rico, Bronx
Smith is confident the team can secure a win against Illinois, having beaten the school previously in the season. He had a successful playing career at the University of Dayton before transferring to UConn for the opportunity to play in the tournament.
“This is definitely the highest level I’ve played at,” he said. “And to represent New York City and Puerto Rico, on my dad’s side, it’s amazing. I just want people and younger kids especially to know that they can do it… it’s really special to be here.”
Like Antigua, Smith grew up in the Bronx and attended St. Raymond Catholic Boys school. They bring Bronx and Latino Madness to the Final Four.
