The new standard in "Pro-vo" is being set.
For the first time since 1993, a BYU freshman will enter the NBA draft and likely be drafted high in the first round.
Egor Demin announced his decision on April 8 after mulling it over for a few weeks.
The arrival of the Kevin Young era included a new vision for what BYU basketball could be. With his years of NBA experience, Young hoped to turn Provo, UT, into a pipeline for basketball players that wanted to focus on preparing for the NBA. One year after his debut in the Marriott Center, Demin's decision represents a realization of that vision — or at least the start of it.
While Demin's path to the draft is unique in BYU history, he is not the first to be taken off the draft board in the first round, as most projections anticipate. Here we will revisit his predecessors from the last 35 years.
Jimmer Fredette — No. 10 overall, 2011
What can be said about the 2011 National Player of the Year that hasn't already been said? Jimmermania rushes back into the memories of college basketball fans every time March rolls around. No Cougar has ever held the nation's attention like No. 32 — pending AJ Dybantsa's arrival next season.
Then Fredette was drafted, ending up on the Sacramento Kings roster.
After coming off a senior season where he led the nation with 28.9 points per game, his career high with the Kings was 24 points. In his third season on the team. From there, he shuffled from franchise to franchise every year or so until he moved on from the NBA in 2019.
While the NBA unfortunately never panned out for Fredette, he has found success internationally and on the US Olympic 3-on-3 basketball team. In a way, he pulled off the inverse of what Demin hopes to do in the NBA.
Rafael Araújo — No. 8 overall, 2004
One of several Brazilian basketball players to find a home in Provo, Araújo averaged an 18-point triple-double in his senior year at BYU, shooting his draft stock up to No. 8 and the Vince Carter-led Toronto Raptors.
Three years later, he was out of the league.
Araújo has the misfortune of being what some have referred to as a "bust" from the draft class. In a class with Dwight Howard and Andre Igoudala — and not much more, to be honest — Araújo averaged less than twelve minutes on the floor across his two seasons on the Raptors and one season with the Utah Jazz. He took his career internationally from there before retiring from the sport in 2014.
Shawn Bradley — No. 2 overall, 1993
The earliest — and tallest — of any BYU player to be drafted to the NBA, and the only one with an acting career.
Bradley was drafted by the 76ers with a mind-boggling seven-foot-six-inch frame, which puts him in the top five tallest NBA players. Ever.
Bradley was the last time a player repped the Cougars as a freshman and then immediately entered the draft, averaging fifteen points and an NCAA-leading five blocks a game for BYU.
His jump to the pro league after only one season of college ball sets an example Demin hopes to follow.
Those five blocks per game were a big deal to NBA scouts in '93, hence his particularly high draft pick. Sadly, Bradley didn't stay with the team that drafted him for very long, lasting three seasons on the 76ers. He ended up spending most of his career in Dallas, where he retired after 14 years in the NBA.
Egor Demin — No. __ overall — 2025
Kevin Young's appointment as head coach a year ago was worthy of a Woj bomb. While it was obvious how good of a hire he was for BYU, few expected a follow-up Woj bomb a month later.
Enter Egor Demin.
Demin immediately became the highest-graded prospect BYU had landed up to that point, securing a five-star rating.
That record stood for only a few months with recruits Xavion Staton and AJ Dybantsa breaking the record in a matter of months. That would exemplify the Kevin Young effect.
Demin showed a great feel for the passing game in his one collegiate season, one of the best in the sport for someone his age. He did struggle in games against strong, physical defenses, but the way defense is played in the NBA doesn't resemble a team like Houston at all. His style of play will translate well to the pros, especially if he continues to develop his 3-point shot.
As June 25 approaches, it's likely Demin's name will be called at the Barclays Center. He has the chance to be the first lottery pick out of BYU in 14 years, and more are on the way in the coming seasons. That's what Young has been preparing this program to become.