DENVER — BYU guard Dallin Hall had a premonition. At the team's dinner on Wednesday night, he sat beside 19-year-old freshman point guard Demin, encouraging him with words of confidence. Hall prophesied that Demin was about to have his breakout moment as a Cougar. The young player did not disappoint, scoring an impressive 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting, as sixth-seeded BYU triumphed over 11th-seeded VCU with a score of 80-71 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Ball Arena in Denver.
Demin's journey in the game began with a turnover after getting trapped near half court, but he quickly turned things around, delivering a performance that could be deemed his best in a BYU uniform, particularly considering it was his first game in an NBA arena. He had missed the opportunity to play in the Delta Center in Salt Lake City when BYU faced Wyoming due to injury. With numerous professional basketball scouts in attendance, the stakes were high.
“I told him last night he was going to have a big tournament,” Hall stated, highlighting the confidence he had in Demin. “A lot of people have been saying things about you (that aren’t true), but he is what he is said to be, and he is who he portrays himself to be. He comes in and works hard every day.”
Demin's performance was pivotal; he sank all three of his 3-point attempts in the first half, propelling BYU to a 39-28 lead at halftime. His back-to-back triples came after BYU had fallen behind 10-6, injecting much-needed energy into a sluggish Cougar offense. Keba Keita, a big man on the team who contributed nine points and nine rebounds, expressed his excitement: “It always feels great to see him going off and we like seeing those shots falling for us, and for him. We are happy for him. Yeah, it was great.”
Despite the strong performance, Demin also had two assists and four turnovers during his 31 minutes on the court, indicating areas for improvement. However, Hall emphasized that when Demin is performing well, it boosts the confidence of the entire team. “He is a leader, an anxious learner, and a great teammate. I find a lot of joy playing with him and am excited to see him have success. He earned it. He is a great player,” Hall remarked. “When I told him that last night at dinner (that he’d have a good game), he said, ‘As long as we win, that’s all I care about.’ That’s what he is about.”
It is important to note that Demin's assist total was modest largely due to his teammates missing some open 3-pointers. The rest of the Cougars managed only 4 of 13 from beyond the arc. “Whoever gets him in the NBA draft is going to be very lucky because he is really improving,” Hall added.
Fellow guard Trevin Knell, who scored eight points on 3 of 6 shooting, acknowledged the immense pressure Demin faces as he aims to meet the expectations of being a potential first-round draft pick this summer. However, Demin himself has not declared his intentions to leave college basketball after one year. He expressed his appreciation for the college lifestyle and his time at BYU: “He has got so much on his shoulders right now. He feels the weight of the world on him. So, to be able to be a freshman point guard in the Big 12, now in the NCAA Tournament, all eyes are on him,” Knell remarked. “I feel like he has handled it really, really well. He is a selfless dude. He believes in God and trusts in his routine.”
Knell continued, “It was awesome to go through his process and leave it up to the Big Man and trust everything else. I was the first one off the bench, just screaming for him. Because he works probably the hardest of anyone on the team. He has put a lot of time into his shot, and it was great to see the ball go down.”
Reflecting on his own performance, Demin stated, “I think we have been talking about this so much inside of the team — just come here, and nothing matters but the team. We can scout as much as we want other teams, but at the end of the day, nothing matters. It matters how strong we get on the court, how much effort we give, and how much we want to win.”
BYU coach Young noted that he had a productive film session with Demin before the game, focusing on shot selection. “I thought tonight the shots he took were all in rhythm,” Young said. “He took one that was a little iffy. The sky is the limit. He just turned 19. His feel is really good. Tonight, I thought his approach in terms of getting downhill early set the tone for the game.”
