Jimmer Fredette calls it what he sees it — and he sees BYU’s signing of Russian star Egor Demin as a sign of the times.
“It’s a big deal. It really is,” Fredette told the “Y’s Guys” podcast just hours after BYU announced that Demin had been cleared by the NCAA and was an official member of Kevin Young’s first roster as head coach of the Cougars.
“It just shows Coach Young’s reach and shows that BYU is a viable option for top-10 lottery picks entering their first year of college, the true ready player,” he said. “That’s what (Demin) could be and because of that, you have guys that are looking at us differently. They’re saying ‘Oh, wow, this kid’s going to BYU?’ So this is a viable option (for them) because we know he will be an NBA talent.”
Demin is expected in Provo on Thursday. The Muscovite spent the last three academic years playing for Real Madrid’s Under-18 program in Spain. ESPN projects him as the ninth lottery pick in next year’s NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-2 freshman won’t turn 18 until next March, when the Cougars complete their second season in the Big 12 and just before what they hope will be back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
Fredette arrived at BYU with little fanfare and even fewer expectations, however, when he entered the NBA, those circumstances were exactly the opposite. Demin won’t have the luxury of being a pleasant surprise and Fredette doesn’t think that will be a problem for him.
“Firstly, he plays professionally for Real Madrid, which is one of the best, if not the best, clubs in Europe. It wasn’t his top level team, but the expectations of being able to perform at a high level in these types of teams are very, very high,” said Fredette, who played for Panathinaikos (Greece) in 2019-20. “The fans there are crazy. They wait a lot. They are in your face about it. You know if you play well or not. So, I don’t know if that will be a big problem for him to come here.”
Matchups in cities like Kansas, Arizona, Houston and San Diego State will be full of excitement, but Fredette believes Demin is tailor-made for it.
“I think Europeans come in with a different level of confidence in their game because they’ve played against professionals and they’ve played in front of these types of crowds before,” he said.
Demin’s impact on BYU, both immediate and long-term, remains to be seen. The Cougars have never had a 6-foot-5 guard in program history. Fredette acknowledges that Demin may be the first “big fish” Young and his team have caught, but he won’t be the last.
“It’s definitely a game changer and I think you’ve seen that in the hires that Coach has had and the people that he’s been offering,” Fredette said. “The people coming to visit BYU are not typical visits that you would see at BYU until now. I think it just shows the team he has, the reach he has and obviously his ability in the NBA to be able to coach the best players in the world.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and a broadcaster and talk show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” on ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar”, available at deseretbook. with.
