Through two games, it was the BYU freshmen stealing the show for the Cougars, but the veterans made their presence known Wednesday night in a 99-55 win over Queens at the Marriott Center. Sharp 3-point shooting was the theme all night, as Kevin Young’s team finished at 42.9% from deep. A variety of players for BYU chipped in, and the game was never in reach for the Royals.
But who impressed the most, and who has had the best total season so far? Let’s take a look, in our running BYU basketball player rankings.
1. Dawson Baker
After a pedestrian start to the season, Baker caught fire Wednesday night to lead the Cougars with 22 points, on 6-7 shooting from 3. He seemed to shoot it with more confidence, and every time the ball left his hand, most people inside the Marriott Center assumed it was going in. If Baker can be half as good as he was against Queens, he’ll provide BYU with a meaningful spark off the bench that can help take the Cougars to the next level in the Big 12
2. Trevin Knell
But Baker wasn’t the only red hot Cougar, as Knell got the party started, hitting his first four 3s of the game to help BYU stretch the lead out of reach early. Similarly to Baker, Knell will probably live and die by the 3 for the most part this season. He cooled off in the second half against Queens, finishing with16 points, but that’s more so because he wasn’t needed. Time will tell how consistent he can be.
3. Egor Demin
It was a “quieter” night for Demin, although he still did his usual thing, scoring an efficient 14 points and 5 assists. You could argue he was still the Cougars best player Wednesday night, and I don’t think you’d get much pushback.
He often had defenders looking like they were moving in slow motion with his effortless drives to the basket. And perhaps the best part about his fast start, is his 50% 3 point percentage through three games. He’ll be well on his way to a top 5 pick in the NBA draft if he can keep that up above 35%.
4. Keba Keita
Keita has continued to provide BYU with a powerful inside force that few teams are able to match. Going up against a 7 foot, shot blocking monster in Malcolm Wilson, Keita still finished with an 11 point, 13 rebound double-double, in just 21 minutes.
5. Fousseyni Traore
And speaking of powerful forces inside, Traore has been every bit as impressive as Keita. While he wasn’t needed in the points column, his 12 rebounds in just 17 minutes was an awesome effort. He’s at nearly five offensive boards per game through the first week and a half of this season.
6. Mawot Mag
Not asked to do anything crazy offensively, Mag excelled against Queens by being in the right place at the right time. Whether it was fighting on the offensive glass or running the floor for fast break buckets, the senior certainly made the most of his 15 minutes of action, finishing with six points and a pair of offensive rebounds.
7. Richie Saunders
Arguably the heartbeat of the team, Saunders was able to take a backseat and enjoy the show in this one. Seven points and six rebounds will always be appreciated though, as will his veteran presence among a few newcomers.
8. Mihailo Boskovic
Already with one impressive reverse layup this year, Boskovic managed to hit an even more incredible one in the first half on Wednesday night. He’s been a consistent presence off the bench thus far, but possesses the ability to really explode when his 3 starts dropping.
9. Elijah Crawford
Crawford continues to help fill in for the injured Hall, and is always making his presence known in a variety of ways. This time it was with 3 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He’ll want to cut down on the turnovers, but he’s certainly been getting some meaningful experience early on.
10. Kanon Catchings
It was a cold night for Catchings, as he scored nine points, but on 4-14 shooting, and 1-7 from 3. Tighter shot selection will certainly improve his efficiency, but you can’t fault him too much when the Cougars have the size of leads that they do and he’s shown the ability to knock them down.
11. Brody Kozlowkski, Max Triplett, Townsend Tripple, Jared McGregor
This squad checked in with just a few minutes left, and without the chance to make an impact.
Season Standings
Points are assigned in inverse order for the rankings. 1st place = 11 points, 2nd place = 10 points, etc.
1. Egor Demin, 29 points
2. Keba Keita, 23
3. Fousseyni Traore, 22
4. Richie Saunders, 20
T5. Kanon Catchings, 17
T5. Dawson Baker, 17
7. Trevin Knell, 16
8. Mihailo Boskovic, 13
9. Mawot Mag, 12
10. Elijah Crawford, 6
T11. Brody Kozlowkski, Max Triplett, Townsend Tripple, Jared McGregor, 1