Egor Demin has been quite valuable for BYU this season, but now the Cougars will have to manage without him for a while.
The freshman phenom has suffered a knee contusion and will be “out (for) about a week and a half” before being reevaluated, head coach Kevin Young told BYU Radio broadcaster Greg Wrubell Wednesday night.
“(It) could have been a lot worse,” Young told Wrubell, “… but (we’re) lucky it wasn’t anything worse than it is.”
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Demin sustained the injury early in last Tuesday’s contest against Providence, finishing the night with a discouraging 0 of 10 shooting mark from the field and only playing six minutes in the second half.
Given BYU’s schedule, Demin likely won’t return to the court until the start of Big 12 play at the earliest. The Cougars will play Fresno State, Wyoming and Florida A&M over the next nine days before going on a lengthy holiday break that will last until Dec. 31 against Arizona State.
Demin’s absence, while temporary, will be a major test for BYU. He currently leads the team in scoring (13.3 points) and assists (5.8), grabbing 4.6 rebounds per game and shooting 38.5% from distance as well. Dallin Hall will slide into Demin’s role as the primary ball handler within Young’s offense, with Richie Saunders, Kanon Catchings and Dawson Baker expected to carry some of the scoring load as well.
Prior to his injury, Demin had become a household name among college basketball fans and was reportedly shooting up NBA Draft boards. The Athletic’s draft expert Sam Vecenie released a Top 100 big board that had Demin in the No. 2 spot, and fellow analyst Krysten Peek suggested Demin could even be taken with the No. 1 overall selection next summer.
“His passing and processing ability isn’t just high level; it’s elite,” Vecenie wrote of Demin. “It’s different. He sees the game with the kind of incredibly clear understanding that comes from the league’s elite passers.”
