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German big man Malick Kordel enrolls at Michigan

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas•06/13/25•

Balas_Wolverine

German big man Malick Kordel has signed with Michigan basketball. (Photo: Dennis Scheidt)
German big man Malick Kordel has signed with Michigan basketball. (Photo: Dennis Scheidt)

Michigan basketball is on a roll under head coach Dusty May, good news coming in droves. First, Yaxel Lendeborg — the nation’s top transfer prospect — announced he’d be attending U-M next year, choosing the Wolverines over the NBA Draft. In addition, May has signed German 7-footer Malick Kordel over offers from Iowa, Xavier, Villanova, and others.

Kordel, 21, only started playing basketball about four years ago — handball was his sport since sixth grade — but he’s picked it up quickly. He visited for Michigan’s home game with Michigan State in February and has been interested since, with May going to Germany this spring to seal the deal.

Though he also took trips to Xavier and Iowa, Kordel found what he was looking for at Michigan. He’s considered a project, but he’s shown his great upside playing with Frankfurt’s Fraport Skyliners in Germany’s BBL. He averaged around 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 assists in 24.5 minutes per game over 19 games, shooting close to 70 percent from the floor.

He picked up basketball during the pandemic in 2020, and he learned quickly.

“Everybody said, ‘Start playing basketball. You’re huge. You have the perfect tools,’” Kordel said last year. “You look like a basketball player. Just try it. But for me, I didn’t want to let my friends down, let’s say. I built up a big circle of friends.”

Kordel was playing handball when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the gyms and started playing outdoors with the German U19 NBBL team. He has since continued to rise as a prospect, and while he might not be an immediate contributor — that’s up to him and his development — Michigan loves his potential.

Kordel is expected to be Michigan’s last pledge in the 2025 class, joining Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary’s guard Trey McKenney, Napa (Cali.) Prolific Prep wing Winters Grady, early enrollee power forward Oscar Goodman of NBA Global Academy in Australia (via New Zealand), and small forward Patrick Liburd of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Sagemont Prep.

Combined with an elite portal class, led by Lendeborg, the Wolverines are in position to excel both now and in the long term.

Watch TheWolverine.com for more basketball news in the days and weeks to come …

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