PROVO — One of the top recruits in BYU men’s basketball history has signed with the program.
Egor Demin, a 2025 NBA draft lottery projection who committed to the Cougars last month, has signed a National Letter of Intent, first-year coach Kevin Young announced Monday.
The 6-foot-9 native of Moscow, Russia, will be available for BYU’s second season in the Big 12 in 2024-25.
“We are thrilled that Egor and his family are joining us at BYU,” Young said. “He is a special talent with an extremely bright future, and he plays the game the right way. At 6-foot-9, his passing, playmaking and shooting will fit seamlessly into our style of play. Egor has proven himself among the best prospects in Europe in recent years. We look forward to helping him grow and develop on and off the court.”
During Real Madrid’s run to the tournament title at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Berlin, Germany, Demin averaged 16.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game, including 26 points, 11 boards and six dimes in the finals against PFBB INSEP Paris, when he shot 6-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
A Russian youth international who helped his national team to third place at the FIBA U16 European Challengers, Demin joins a talented incoming class that includes four-star point guard Elijah Crawford from Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and four-star forward Brody Kozlowski from Corner Canyon.
The duo were previously signed with Stanford and USC, respectively, but being released from their letters of intent following coaching changes and subsequently committing to BYU following the departure of former coach Mark Pope to Kentucky.
The trio also come to BYU with transfers Keba Keita, a rim-running center from Utah, and Mawot Mag, considered to be among the top defenders in the Big Ten during his time at Rutgers.
They’ll join a returning core that includes three of four starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament squad in Dallin Hall, Trevin Knell and Fousseyni Traore, as well as key reserves Richie Saunders and Dawson Baker, among others.
Young also has to chase top prospects from the 2025 recruiting class, bringing in top overall recruit AJ Dybantsa for an unofficial visit and recruiting his Utah Prep teammate J.J. Mandaquit. He’s also had an offer out to Kanon Catchings, the four-star former Purdue signee who played for assistant coach Tim Fanning last season with Overtime Elite.
In other words, there is still a possibility that Young isn’t done yet.
“Our roster isn’t finished with two scholarships left to give,” BYU assistant coach Will Voigt told KSL.com during an interview on ESPN radio in Utah County. “It probably won’t be until closer to the fall that we feel we can fill our (roster).”
But if Demin’s signing slows down the recruiting period, coaches are confident in what the Cougars current have on campus, including Crawford and Mag who both arrived last week for the start of summer workouts.
“I think the group we have right now is more than capable of being a great team,” Voigt said.
Here’s a look at BYU’s current roster for the 2024-25 season, with two scholarship spots left to give:
