The excitement for the upcoming college basketball season has been palpable at BYU thanks in large part to the influx of talent that new head coach Kevin Young has recruited.
Two incoming freshmen in particular, Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings, have been widely talked about as being likely first round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Is that still the case as there are just weeks remaining before the season starts? It is indeed, at least according to ESPN draft experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, who earlier this week released an updated list of their top 100 prospects for 2025.
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Demin is in lottery range at No. 11 on ESPN’s board (down two spots from the last update), while Catchings is slotted at No. 23 (up three spots from the last update).
“Demin is part of a new wave of elite international prospects lured to play college basketball with lucrative NIL deals and a significant platform in the Big 12 at BYU,” Givony wrote. “Despite standing 6-9, Demin played point guard exclusively at Real Madrid, giving him distinctive versatility with the creativity he shows operating out of pick-and-roll. Demin has made a significant volume of 3-pointers everywhere he has played but hasn’t always been consistent with his shooting.
“He has things to prove from a toughness perspective, especially on the defensive end. Talent has never been a question for the Russian guard, who missed out on national team exposure the past few summers because his country was banned by FIBA, so there’s room for movement with his draft standing depending on how he transitions to the college game.”
As for Catchings, Woo wrote, “Regarded as one of the better long-term prospects at Overtime Elite last season, Catchings decommitted from Purdue to land at BYU under new coach Kevin Young. The nephew of longtime WNBA star Tamika Catchings brings an excellent physical profile for a wing at his listed 6-10, and has flashed shotmaking talent and true defensive potential in different settings in which we’ve seen him.
Catchings is still raw in areas, but teams will be closely tracking his progress under a coaching staff with NBA pedigree. The tools are there for him to emerge as a first-round-caliber player, but teams will want to get a better sense of his development trajectory and timeline in the early going.”
Former BYU wing Jaxson Robinson, who followed former Cougars coach Mark Pope to Kentucky, is slotted at No. 90 on the list.
