BYU basketball: 2 teens are ‘reppin’ the Y’ is big win for BYU

AJ Dybantsa, the nation's No. 1 basketball recruit, is presented at halftime of the BYU and Fresno State game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.

Goodbye, Egor. Hello, AJ.

The words are easy to type, but Cougar Nation is torn. Saying goodbye is hard. Egor Demin’s heartfelt announcement Tuesday to enter the NBA draft brings closure to the concept that he might return for a second season.

Technically, Demin could withdraw from the draft by June 16 and return to BYU, but that road is not on his map. For a kid who dreamed of playing in the NBA since he first dribbled a basketball, this is the time to go.

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It no longer matters what the outside voices think he should do. The 19-year-old said he prayed about it, consulted with people close to him and made the best choice for him. Demin is moving to Los Angeles to prepare for his individual workouts, the NBA combine and the eventual draft on June 25.

No roster player since Jimmer Fredette has generated more attention for BYU basketball than Demin. Coincidentally, no non-roster player has done that more than AJ Dybantsa, who announced his commitment to the Cougars on ESPN last December.

In today’s college game, where name, image and likeness try to attach a dollar figure on everything, it’s hard to forecast the true value of these two talented, non-Latter-day Saint kids who “rep the Y” wherever they go. In the end, the sum might just be priceless.

Related Why teenager Egor Demin ultimately decided to declare for the NBA draft

“I am not leaving you guys here, I’m taking you with me, the whole way through my career and through my life,” Demin said during his news conference. “I’m willing to represent the BYU logo and the BYU name everywhere I go. Anything I’m doing, it comes with you, too. It was an honor to be here and represent the logo and wear the jersey.”

When Demin reps the Y it says several things. First, a talented player can come to BYU and flourish. Second, you don’t have to be a member of the school-sponsored faith to have a faith-building experience, and third, once adopted into Cougar Nation, the fan base is family forever.

Over time, Demin’s plan to come to Provo to prepare for the NBA morphed beyond a business decision and became personal as he found himself — spiritually and intellectually. “I was coming here with faith, and I’m leaving here with a bigger faith and a stronger faith in God, and that good can happen if you believe,” he said.

“I am not leaving you guys here, I’m taking you with me, the whole way through my career and through my life.” — BYU guard Egor Demin to Cougar Nation

Demin also developed relationships that he never saw coming.

“I’m super grateful to be in this situation where it was hard to choose what I want to do,” Demin said. “BYU was pulling me back. My heart was pulling me back here because I just love this place so much. Everything and everybody here mean everything to me.”

Dybantsa’s BYU experience officially begins later this month when he enrolls in spring classes. A confident soul, Dybantsa’s personality and skillset is much different from Demin’s, and his efforts to rep the Y have been non-stop since signing day.

“The thing, honestly, that I really think is cool is just hearing how much Egor loves BYU,” said head coach Kevin Young. “When I see AJ, his dad sent me a picture of him talking to (ESPN’s) Dick Vitale and he’s decked out in BYU gear. He’s on all the-whatever, the guy makes the rounds, and every time I see him, he’s wearing a BYU hat. That pride of BYU I think is super cool.”

To Demin’s credit, the 6-9 guard showed up at BYU as a projected lottery pick last summer and he leaves with the same projection. Along the way, he helped the Cougars reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011 and finish the final AP Top 25 poll ranked No. 13.

Demin may no longer play for the Cougars, but the ties that bind in his personal life will keep him visiting the Marriott Center frequently. He also plans to continue his education online or eventually in-person and graduate from BYU.

Dybantsa, the No. 1 recruit in the world, who is also 6-9, is projected to contend for the top pick in next year’s NBA draft. The teens from Moscow and Boston, respectively, won’t play together in Provo but, as a tag-team of top talent, together they have already elevated BYU basketball into rare air.

“It’s validation in a lot of ways,” Young said. “We feel we offer an environment that can really help young men get to the NBA. Egor is the first. Richie (Saunders) will probably be a close second, in terms of guys we had this year, and as we build for future years, we’ll have a track record that will speak on that and be really attractive for players.”

Dybantsa gives Young a weapon who can prosper at every position.

“We feel like, given the way we try to play, we space the court really well for these guys, I think he is going to thrive in that environment, even more so than he has to this point,” Young said. “We feel like he is going to take his game to another level in our style of play and that, for me, is where I get the most excited.”

The hype that surrounded Demin’s arrival already pales in comparison to the drums pounding for Dybantsa. The Cougars will open next season (Nov. 3) in the national spotlight against Villanova at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The challenge facing Young and his staff is to construct a roster around Dybantsa and Saunders. The First Team All-Big 12 honoree hasn’t announced his plans, but there are those who expect him to return.

“We are being really calculated about how we put this team together. We have a lot of good players that are coming back from last year’s team, I think the continuity piece next to a high-end talent like AJ is going to be critical,” Young said. “Richie is a guy that really put himself on the map in a major way this year. So, you are going to have a lot of talent that’s out there on the floor. We are just trying to make sure we put the right pieces around those guys and continue to build on what we’ve done.”

The immediate payoff is measured by wins and losses. The long-term play will be defined by how those two rep the Y throughout their lives.

Both are off to a pretty good start — even as BYU says goodbye to Egor and hello to AJ.

1 of 5 BYU point guard Egor Demin shakes hands with Nate Austin, BYU director of basketball operations, as he leaves a press conference about his plans to enter the NBA draft at the Marriott Center Annex in Provo on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News 2 of 5 BYU point guard Egor Demin talks during a press conference about his plans to enter the NBA draft at the Marriott Center Annex in Provo on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Travis Hansen, a former BYU basketball player and mentor to Demin, is on the left. BYU head basketball coach Kevin Young is on the right. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News 3 of 5 BYU point guard Egor Demin talks during a press conference about his plans to enter the NBA draft at the Marriott Center Annex in Provo on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Travis Hansen, a former BYU basketball player and mentor to Demin, is on the left. BYU head basketball coach Kevin Young is on the right. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News 4 of 5 BYU point guard Egor Demin talks during a press conference about his plans to enter the NBA draft at the Marriott Center Annex in Provo on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News 5 of 5 BYU head basketball coach Kevin Young speaks during a press conference about Egor Demin’s plans to enter the NBA draft at the Marriott Center Annex in Provo on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.

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