When Kevin Young said he wanted to make BYU “the best place in college basketball to prepare young men to play in the NBA,” he really wasn’t kidding.
Russian star Egor Demin has announced his commitment to play for Young’s Cougars, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday.
Demin currently plays for Real Madrid in Europe, where he is considered one of the world’s top international prospects. At just 18 years old, he has averaged 12.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 21 games this season.
In his most recent outing, Demin scored 26 points with 11 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks to help lead Real Madrid to the U18 Adidas Next Generation Tournament championship.
Amid a potentially loaded 2025 NBA draft class, the 6-foot-9 talent was projected to be the No. 9 overall pick in ESPN’s latest mock draft.
Demin reportedly chose to play for Young at BYU over competing offers from Illinois, Arkansas and others.
Signing Demin is not only one of the most notable storylines of the entire college basketball offseason but is arguably the biggest recruiting win in BYU program history.
According to Robby McCombs of Vanquish the Foe, Demin’s commitment indicates two major signs: “Young is serious about developing a NBA pipeline in Provo,” and “BYU has a healthy collective ... that can be competitive money-wise for top prospects.”
Demin could contribute at the 1-4 spots for the Cougars, where he joins a solid first recruiting class for Young in high school talents Brody Kozlowski and Elijah Crawford, along with transfer Keba Keita.