“What a signing for both of them”: College hoops fans react to Real Madrid star Egor Demin’s BYU commitment

On Tuesday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Egor Demin has committed to play for the BYU Cougars. The Russian native previously played for Real Madrid Baloncesto.

Demin's signing is a huge step forward for the Cougars as they navigate their post-Mark Pope era under former NBA coach Kevin Young.

"Real Madrid’s Egor Demin — a projected 2025 NBA Draft lottery pick — has committed to BYU and coach Kevin Young for the 2024-‘25 season," Wojnarowski tweeted. "Demin’s a highly skilled 6-9 Russian guard who’ll arrive as one of most talented recruits in program history."

Fans were excited by the news, with one tweeting:

"What a signing for both of them! 🔥 Egor will have no problem fitting in there! Up and coming blue blood bball program, robust NIL, Christian university, cold snowy winters, and more 20-21 year old Russian speakers per capita than any other US college campus! Just add borscht!😉"

"That's huge for BYU! 🤯 Egor Demin is gonna be a game-changer. Can't wait to see him play! 🏀," another fan commented.

"Another generational talent from Real Madrid," one fan wrote.

"Someone release the odds of byu winning the natty, im throwing all my money down," another fan joked.

Some fans commented on the coaching change and its impact.

"BYU is paying players more this season than they’ve paid their coaches in the last 10 years 😂," a fan said.

"Pope left and BYU got a significantly better coach, recruiter and players," another user wrote.

"Nice!! Kevin Young is killing it! Keep it up Cougs!!," a fan commented.

"BYU is going to be good. Friars have a legitimately tough non conference schedule for the first time in a long time, and I could not be more fired up about it. Hard to overstate how important / refreshing this reality is," another wrote.

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New BYU coach Kevin Youn shares his vision for the Cougars

After five years with the Cougars, Mark Pope left to coach at his alma mater Kentucky Wildcats in April. The Cougars hired a former associate head coach with the Phoenix Suns, Kevin Young, as Pope's successor.

The new coach, on CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein on his podcast “College Hoops Today,” discussed Young's transition to college basketball as well as his own vision for BYU.

“We feel like we offer a really unique situation in Provo. Obviously me and a few of the coaches I’m bringing in have pro backgrounds, and the reason I’m saying that is because player development is going to be a massive part of what we do is we try to help not just guys get to the NBA, but guys stay at BYU because they know they’re going to get better while they’re there."

"I feel good about the staff we’re putting together that’s going to help us keep a lot of high level talent there coming into Provo each and every year.”

Besides signing Egor Demin, Young also retained Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders and added top-ranked recruits Brody Kozlowski and Elijah Crawford. Now, all eyes will be on the coach and the Cougars as they try to establish themselves as a serious competition in the Big 12.

What do you think of the new moves made by BYU? What are your predictions for the upcoming season? Let's know your thoughts in the comments section below:

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