BYU basketball has a unique spot in the history of college hoops. Legendary players like Jimmer Fredette, Danny Ainge, and Shawn Bradley have planted their roots at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. But despite a handful of high points, BYU basketball has been a generally middling presence in the grand picture of the NCAA.
Though they often make their way into the NCAA Tournament field, BYU hasn't escaped the Round of 64 since 2011, when they reached the Sweet 16. The Cougars currently hold the record for NCAA Tournament appearances without a Final Four berth and haven't appeared in the Elite Eight since 1981. Yes, it's hard being a BYU fan.
The Cougars joined the Big 12 last season after an underwhelming stint in the West Coast Conference, but somehow quickly became a legitimate force in the nation's toughest basketball conference (sorry, SEC) under Mark Pope's trigger-happy offensive scheme.
For the first time since Jimmer Fredette's Player of the Year campaign in 2011, hopes were high for BYU's basketball program, and they seemed poised to build off their successful 2023-24 season under Pope.
But then, the unthinkable happened. Thanks to some peacocks, Jack Gohlke, and a handful of disappointments in the NCAA Tournament, the blue-blood University of Kentucky underwent a change in their coaching staff, losing John Calipari and filling the coaching vacuum with a UK alum by the name of Mark Pope out of Provo. No longer the future of BYU's basketball program, Pope was to become the head of Kentucky hoops.
Pope's exit was the first domino to fall, as several key contributors to the previous year's success entered the transfer portal. Without a coach and with a fracture of the team's structure remaining intact, the basketball program reached an all-time low in an instant.
The basketball gods smiled upon the Marriott Center, though, and they blessed BYU with a basketball savior in the form of Kevin Young, the highest-paid assistant coach in the NBA who was primed to become the head coach of an NBA team in the near future.
Young descended from the highest level of basketball to take charge of the BYU basketball program, and he promised fans that BYU basketball would become a magnet for NBA prospects hoping to develop their game in preparation for the next level.
Enter Egor Demin, the embodiment of Kevin Young making good on his promise to BYU. Demin is a 6'9" guard from Moscow, Russia who has been garnering potential as an NBA lottery prospect. Demin is slated to be a one-and-done prospect before making the leap to the NBA, and his arrival means so much for to BYU than simply being a big-time recruit.
ESPN Sources with @Draftexpress: Real Madrid’s Egor Demin — a projected 2025 NBA Draft lottery pick — has committed to BYU and coach Kevin Young for the 2024-‘25 season. Demin’s a highly skilled 6-9 Russian guard who’ll arrive as one of most talented recruits in program history. pic.twitter.com/EJcNAyqN9N
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 28, 2024
BYU Woj bombs--never gets old.
Demin's commitment represents a shift in the trajectory of BYU basketball. In years past, BYU's recruiting strategy was not to reach for the best prospects in the nation (and beyond). Dave Rose and Mark Pope recruited the top LDS talent, and then hope to land some under-the-radar talents to fill the roster.
Is it any wonder why BYU basketball had been mediocre for over a decade?
Demin's arrival at BYU sets a precedent for future NBA hopefuls when considering Provo. Should the Russian guard be drafted in the early first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, Kevin Young's program would merit the respect of the nation's top prospects as a serious destination to develop NBA skills.
Coach Young continues to be aggressive in his recruiting efforts, having already extended scholarship offers to some of the best prospects in the nation. 5-star and 4-star players now have their eyes on Brigham Young University, along with the rest of the college basketball world.
Of course, nothing is certain about Kevin Young's tenure as head coach until his teams take the floor in the fall. But by securing Egor Demin's commitment, who's to say players like AJ Dybantsa, the top prospect in the nation, won't want to play for Young's squad--especially after receiving an offer from BYU this week?
Congrats to AJ for his offer to BYU!!! pic.twitter.com/DtMOgWkU7Q
— Utah Prep Boys Basketball (@UtahPrepMBB) May 28, 2024
At this point, it feels like anything could happen for BYU hoops. After a brief moment of hopelessness, Cougar fans have greater reason to get excited than ever before. Egor Demin's commitment may not win the Big 12 title or lift his team to the Final Four, but unprecedented optimism surrounds BYU hoops thanks to him.
It's time to believe in BYU basketball again.