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Former BYU guard Egor Demin, right, poses with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected No. 8 by the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Athletics

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BYU's Egor Demin, left, reacts with former Cougar Travis Hansen, center, and BYU coach Kevin Young after being selected No. 8 by the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA Draft on Wednesday, June 26, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Athletics

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About a year ago, former BYU standout Travis Hansen made a phone call to Deputy Athletic Director Brian Santiago.

“I’ve got a special kid,” Hansen told Santiago. “He’s in Real Madrid right now. He’s Russian and I think he’s probably one of the top two kids globally.”

Hansen, who played professionally in Russia, said Santiago immediately called him back and said, ‘We’re in.”

They were talking about Moscow native Egor Demin, a 6-foot-9 phenom with incredible passing ability and a determination to make it to the NBA.

On Wednesday night, that dream came true. Demin, who played his freshman season at BYU, was selected No. 8 in the NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets. His support group, including Hansen and Cougar coach Kevin Young, were there to enjoy the moment.

“It’s hard to explain,” Demin said on BYU Sports Nation Thursday morning. “To be honest, before the draft even started, I thought I was going to cry, but I was just really happy to be there, seeing all these guys around me at the table, seeing Travis’s reaction, seeing my mom’s reaction and just having the opportunity to go up there to put on the hat and hear the nice words from (NBA commissioner) Adam Silver.”

Hansen said Demin’s father and brother were back in Moscow, staying up until 4 a.m. with family and friends to witness the draft and celebrate the announcement.

“It was the best night ever,” Hansen said on BYU Sports Nation. “You’re in New York City and it’s awesome. It feels like a dream and it became a reality. We’re excited for Egor and his family to stay here in Brooklyn and go see the facilities. Dreams come true when you work hard. Shout out to Egor for surrounding himself with good people. That gives you confidence.”

The Nets had five first round draft choices and used three of them — Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf — on point guards.

“I feel like I would fit really good with their team and this is something I was talking about to Coach (Jordi Fernandez) and the other guys from the front office when I was there for the workout with them,” Demin said. “It’s a really young team, a really athletic team. I believe that I could be a facilitator with this team and being able to make easy looks for my teammates.”

Brooklyn General Manager Sean Marks had high praise for Demin.

“I think first and foremost was the IQ,” Marks said. “We looked at how he played the game, how he moved the ball, involved his teammates, saw one or two plays ahead. Obviously, the size for his position is great when you have a 6-8 combo guard/point guard but he can move and play off the ball, too.

“We enjoyed watching him at BYU and then we had multiple opportunities to see him in Brooklyn and got to meet him. I think his defense is great, how he guards the pick and rolls. He has great length. There are a lot of attributes there.”

Demin is BYU’s fifth NBA Lottery selection and the first since Jimmer Fredette was picked 10th in the 2011 NBA Draft. BYU has now had 19 NBA Draft picks since the ABA/NBA merger in 1976 including five of the last seven going in the first round.

“Obviously, it’s a great opportunity for me to be on a team where I can develop myself and also impact the game in the ways I can and just learn a lot from the guys that are already on the team, from the coaching staff, from the front office,” Demin said. “That’s a historical club and a historical organization, right? In the past a lot of Russian players have gone through this organization and for me it’s an honor to be a part of that.”

The 6-foot-9 guard is one of two freshmen in Big 12 history to average at least 10.5 points, 5.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game in a single season, joining fellow lottery pick Trae Young of Oklahoma. He set a freshman program record in assists (180) and assists per game (5.5), previously held by Danny Ainge. He is also one of four freshmen in program history with multiple games of 10 or more assists, including an 18-point, 11-assist double-double in his collegiate debut.

During the Cougars’ run to the Sweet 16, Demin averaged 13.7 points, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tourament. He nearly recorded his first career triple-double in the Round of 32 win over Wisconsin, finishing with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He is one of nine freshmen in NCAA history to record that stat line, joining the likes of Jalen Suggs, Jameer Nelson, Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson.