Point guard Egor Demin said his heart has been pulling him back to BYU for a couple of months now, but his head has been telling him to declare for the NBA draft, where he will be a first-round pick — maybe even a lottery pick — on June 25.
His head won.
Demin on Tuesday made the announcement in what amounted to a trilingual news conference at the Marriott Center Annex — BYU's basketball practice facility — ending months of speculation regarding the 19-year-old Russian's future.
Speaking in English for those present and watching on television, then Spanish for people back at Real Madrid, his former academy, and then Russian for his parents and family members back in Moscow, Demin came off as genuine, sincere, grateful and even a bit wistful as he outlined his reasons for leaving for the premier basketball league in the world after one season at BYU.
"I am happy (the decision has been made)," he said. "It was a couple of days, and weeks, of hard thinking, and prayers, and being in between (staying or leaving), and really trying to find a way how to understand what is going to be my next step.
"It was pretty stressful, not just for me, but for my family and for people who were beside me trying to help me," he continued. "And yeah, I am happy that now it is official and I can finally breathe out and get to the next step of my career."
Demin said he is 100% committed to the decision and will not just go through the pre-draft process and then make a decision at a later date, as so many other NBA prospects have done. He also said he will "wear the BYU logo and represent it everywhere I go" and that he plans to return to finish school and get his degree from BYU as he makes his journey through professional basketball.
"I just love this place so much," he said, in what amounted to a pitch to other prospects to consider the school supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which he is not a member. "Cougar Nation is a huge part of who I am now. … This place is full of smart people and dedicated people … trying to make you better, on the court, and off the court."
Demin said he made the decision "a couple of days ago," and then ran it by BYU basketball coach Kevin Young and some teammates. He said other teammates did not know until Tuesday morning, when news leaked out that he was declaring for the draft.
Turning to Young, who flanked him at the news conference, along with former BYU guard Travis Hansen , Demin told the first-year coach that he appreciated how he was developed into an NBA prospect the past season by the 43-year-old coach.
"You gave me everything you could, and I am super grateful for that," Demin said.
Demin then turned to Hansen, who spent time playing professionally in Russia, and for Real Madrid, and has become a surrogate parent, of sorts, for the one-and-done star, and thanked him for having him over for dinner " almost every Sunday night " and facilitating his transition to the United States.
He said Hansen is "my mentor, my best friend and my almost-older brother."
Demin said when he made the decision to sign with BYU last summer, he worried about the religious nature of the school, and how he would fit in as not only a foreigner, but a nonmember of Utah's predominant faith.
"I was coming here with faith, and I am leaving here with a bigger faith, and a stronger faith, in God and (that) good can happen if you believe in that, and if you pray, and dedicate it to the Lord and if you trust Him," Demin said. "This was a big question for me, how this was going to look like this season, at the start of the year.
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
"I was really nervous and I didn't know what to expect. But faith was the way how to get out of those thoughts for me and I trusted the process, and I trusted God … and I believe he has a plan for each and all of us."
Among those in attendance at the presser were BYU basketball players Richie Saunders, Dawson Baker, Brody Kozlowski, Mihailo Boskovic and Jared McGregor. Of course, Saunders, 23, has a similar decision to make , albeit from a different angle, having played at BYU the past three seasons and now seen as a potential NBA prospect because of his rapid rise in the 2024-25 season in which BYU went 26-10 , made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, and finished with a No. 13 ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll released on Tuesday.
In addition to Young, BYU coaches/staffers such as Will Voigt, John Linehan, Doug Stewart, Jordan Brady, Nate Austin and Charles Abouo were in attendance. And sitting in the back was Demin's girlfriend, BYU women's basketball star Delaney Gibb .
She recently announced she was staying in Provo for her sophomore season, and that, coupled with a cryptic message on social media by Demin quoting German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche about turning the world upside down with a sheet of paper and something to write with, caused some BYU fans to believe that the phenom was coming back for another year.
But it isn't happening, obviously.
"I am super excited to announce that I will be putting my name in the 2025 NBA draft. It is another challenge that I am willing to take, and I'm not scared of any troubles that I could meet at this path," Demin said. "And, thank you to these guys (Hansen and Young) next to me, and my teammates, my coaches, for just being there for me at this moment."
Demin said he and his family and group of advisors kept a close eye on NBA mock drafts, especially after he shined in the NCAA Tournament, and some favorable projections that he could be selected in the top half of the first round played into his decision.
He finished his only season in Provo averaging 13.7 points, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game in the tournament and became just the ninth freshman in the history of the Big Dance to have at least 10 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in a game in BYU's victory over Wisconsin in the second round.
"Cougar Nation is a huge part of who I am now. … This place is full of smart people and dedicated people … trying to make you better, on the court, and off the court."
Among the latest mock draft projections , Bleacher Report has him going 14th overall to the Dallas Mavericks , Sports Illustrated has him going 16th to the San Antonio Spurs , Yahoo Sports has him going 17th to the Brooklyn Nets and USA Today has him going 21st to the Utah Jazz .
"First of all, I want to say thank you to (BYU) president (Shane) Reese, for such a good environment here, and such an amazing university and place to be as an athlete, or as just a student. How warm this place took me, when I just got here, it is incredible," Demin said.
"Thank you so much to our athletic directors, Brian Santiago, Tom Holmoe, for such a big opportunity for me and just a chance to be here and a chance to be a part of a big BYU family. They believed in me and they trusted me when I was not really known by anybody, coming from Russia as a little kid."
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
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
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
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
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
