On Thursday night, BYU basketball held its annual Marriott Center Madness to kick off the 2024-2025 season.
The event serves as a sort of pep rally — a way to hype up fans and students to get them excited for the year and introduce a team. This year's team is full of new faces and fans got to see them geared up and in the flesh for the very first time.
The night's production and theatrics are no joke. The court was tricked out with a D.J. and a stage, where each of the players was announced and introduced one by one. The flashing lights and blaring music gave you a taste of game days. You could feel the heat from pillared blowtorches as each player's name was blasted over the speaker.
Each name was met with thunderous applause and cheers, but none louder than the most touted newcomer, Egor Demin. The young Russian embraced the spotlight and even got to briefly showcase his skills.
A 3-point contest was held with both the women's and men's teams. Two players from each side paired up with a player from the other, making each team one men's player and one women's player.
Demin and Dawson Baker represented the men's team and their talent was on display as they competed against each other. Both shot well, but Baker took the competition, shooting 14 of 15 from beyond the arc.
There was also a dunk contest, which included Elijah Crawford, Kanon Catchings and Trey Stewart. After several impressive dunks, Stewart ended up the winner.
.@elijah1crawford got hops🐰 pic.twitter.com/YXwss2qHwp
— Cosmo Cougar (@byu_cosmo) October 4, 2024
Coach Kevin Young then addressed the crowd, emphasizing how great the Marriott Center crowd was every night.
It was a fitting introduction to the exciting expectations growing around BYU's basketball program. The energy was palpable all night, and if it's any indication of the season, there are going to be some loud games in Provo this year.