BYU – Syndication Server

The latest 2025 NBA mock draft from Bleacher Report has BYU star Egor Demin on the Jazz

This seems like a PERFECT fit for the Jazz if they don’t Cooper Flagg.

One of the most exciting names in college basketball is BYU freshman Egor Demin, who is off to an incredibly hot start this season.

After one of the strongest debuts of any first-year player, the 18-year-old freshman from Russia looks like one of the most promising prospects in all of college basketball. He is averaging 17.0 points and 7.5 assists per game at 6-foot-9, shooting 11-of-20 (.550) on 3-pointers as well.

Read more from Jonathan Wasserman on why this is such a good pick (via Bleacher Report):

“While the Cooper Flagg hype came built in after years of coverage and NBA accessibility, no player has generated more NBA buzz on his own so far than Egor Demin.

BYU coach Kevin Young has given the freshman an ideal role to showcase his on-ball upside, and the Russian has capitalized, looking like a legitimate 6’9″ initiator creating advantages and setting up teammates with his handle, size and passing IQ.

So far, he’s looked fluid and convincing enough for scouts to start feeling confident in his ability to continue playmaking at a high level in the NBA.

He also looks substantially further ahead as a shooter than previous jumbo playmakers like Josh Giddey, Anthony Black or even Scottie Barnes. Demin made 11 threes over his first four games. And even if the accuracy falls off, his early start and track record overseas point to clear shotmaking confidence and shooting becoming a regular part of his scoring attack.

Looking ahead, scouts will be eager to assess Demin against power-conference opponents, specifically his ability to create separation and finish inside the arc.”

Demin has not faced much competition so far this season. Among all teams ranked in the top 30, via KenPom, only five have had less difficult strength of schedule so far. But if he can keep this up, expect he will only continue this ascension on draft boards.

The Jazz could make a lot of sense for Demin to pair him with Keyonte George as their backcourt of the future. Jazz chairman Ryan Smith and CEO Danny Ainge both attended BYU and are reportedly very big donors to the university. They would likely find it thrilling to add the next great BYU star to their roster.

Another team with potential interest is the Spurs, who selected him in ESPN’s latest mock draft.

Here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win, where Demin goes to the lowly and injured New Orleans Pelicans.

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Meet Mark Pope, the Kentucky men’s basketball coach who replaced John Calipari

Mark Pope won a championship while playing for Kentucky.

College basketball fans will see someone new on the sidelines coaching the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team this season.

After a decade and a half with Kentucky, former Wildcats head coach John Calipari is no longer leading the program. Now the head coach at Arkansas, the longtime face of the team brought a few of his former players to a new school in the SEC.

In his absence, former BYU head coach Mark Pope is now running the show for Kentucky.

OTHER NEW COACHES: The men’s NCAA basketball coaching carousel’s biggest moves, including John Calipari to Arkansas

Pope is originally from Washington and played college basketball for the Washington Huskies, where he was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 1992.

He eventually transferred to Kentucky, where he played from 1994 until 1996. As a forward, he was team captain for the Wildcats when they won the NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1996.

Selected in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft, he played professionally both overseas and in the NBA. After his playing career concluded, he began coaching.

Pope served as an assistant coach at Georgia, Wake Forest, and BYU before becoming head coach at Utah Valley in 2015. Pope took over as head coach for the Cougars in 2019 and was able to take the team to the March Madness tournament last season.

Now the head coach of his alma mater, fans will have high hopes for Pope’s first season. While several players left the team for the NBA or the transfer portal, he will bring former BYU top scorer Jaxson Robinson with him to the Wilcats.

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Controversial BYU-Utah ending draws strong USC reaction

Utah fans are mad at the refs for bad calls in Saturday’s BYU game. USC fans noted how little sympathy Utah fans had for the Trojans two years ago in Salt Lake City.

On Saturday night, a controversial ending in the rivalry football game between BYU and Utah sparked a strong reaction from USC fans, for one very obvious set of reasons.

Trailing 21-19 in the game’s final two minutes, BYU faced a 4th and 10 at its own nine-yard line. With the Cougars out of timeouts, a failure to convert would end the game.

Utah sacked BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, causing the Cougars to turn the ball over on downs. However, the Utes were called for a highly questionable holding penalty, extending the drive. BYU then drove down the field and kicked a game-winning field goal to emerge with a 22-21 triumph.

After the game, Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan ripped into the officials, claiming that the Utes had the game “stolen” from them. Many Utah fans followed suit.

However, USC fans were quick to remind Harlan and Utah fans that the Utes benefitted from a similarly controversial call against USC two years ago.

With the Trojans leading 14-0 late in the first quarter, the USC defense intercepted a pass thrown by Utah quarterback Cam Rising. However, defensive lineman Stanley Ta’ufo’ou was called for a highly questionable roughing the passer penalty, giving Utah the ball back. The Utes would score a touchdown on the next play.

The penalty completely changed the course of the game. Instead of getting the ball back up by 14 points, USC’s lead was cut to one score. The Trojans would go on to lose 43-42 on a Rising 2-point conversion run in the final minute. There was another dubious roughing-the-passer penalty called on the Trojans in the fourth quarter which kept a Utah drive alive. What Utah fans felt on Saturday night, USC fans felt in October of 2022.

At the time, Utah fans were not particularly willing to listen to the USC crowd complaining about the officiating. With the tables now turned and the Utes being on the wrong side of a call, USC fans were not about to sit around and listen to their sob stories.

While Saturday obviously won’t erase the outcome from two years ago, it is nice to see that what comes around, goes around.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

The latest 2025 NBA mock draft from ESPN has Spurs with Kon Knueppel and Egor Demin

San Antonio would end up with two of the best freshmen in the NCAA.

The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most interesting teams in the league due to Victor Wembanyama, and it will only get more fascinating.

San Antonio currently has two projected lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, which could help them continue to retool around Wembanyama after picking Stephon Castle in the 2024 NBA Draft.

New predictions from ESPN have the Spurs with an absolute dream scenario, picking two of the freshmen who have had the best starts to the NCAA men’s college basketball season thus far: Duke’s Kon Knueppel and BYU’s Egor Demin.

Here is more from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo on the selections, including thoughts on Knueppel:

“Knueppel’s ability to shoot off screens, pull up off the dribble and spot up from deep vantage points with picture-perfect footwork and mechanics should keep him prominent in draft conversations, especially with the way he has contributed in other areas as well with his physicality, feel for the game and better-than-expected shot creation and defense.”

They also added that Knueppel is “arguably the best shooter” in this draft class.

Notre Dame reportedly to take part in 2026 Maui Invitational

The Irish are gonna get some sun before they get some turkey in a couple of years.

Imagine being a college basketball fan and knowing part of your team’s schedule two years in advance. It’s not college football when you often know who your team is playing a decade or more in advance. Both sports are just different.

According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Notre Dame is among seven teams that will take part in the 2026 Maui Invitational during Thanksgiving week. Also participating are Ole Miss, Maryland, Providence, BYU, VCU and Arizona. The eighth team that will round out the field is not yet known.

This will be the Irish’s fifth appearance in the tournament, in which they have an all-time record of 8-5. They last competed in 2021 when COVID-19 forced the tournament to be relocated from Hawaii to Las Vegas. They won this tournament in 2017 with [autotag]Matt Farrell[/autotag] receiving tournament MVP honors.

So if you love Notre Dame hoops and want to do something during Thanksgiving week two years from now, might we suggest making the trip to Hawaii to watch these games?

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Seahawks sign former Vikings QB Jaren Hall to practice squad

The Seattle Seahawks practice squad has gained another member, this time, a quarterback. On Monday morning, the Seahawks signed former Minnesota Vikings backup to their practice squad, giving the organization another quarterback behind Geno Smith and Sam Howell – who are on the active roster already.

The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Seahawks signed former Vikings quarterback Jaren Hall to their practice squad.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 2, 2024

After four years at BYU, Hall was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft. Hall was solid for the Cougars. During his last two years in Provo, he threw for 5,754 yard, 51 touchdowns against only 11 interceptions.

With the Vikings, Hall did see some action. After starter Kirk Cousins was lost for the year with an Achilles injury, Hall was pressed into service. During his first start against the Falcons, Hall suffered a concussion and did not return after half. The Vikings did hold on for a 31-28 victory, so the win was credited to his record. However, in his second start he was benched at half during a 33-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Overall, Hall’s NFL stats aren’t much to look at. He’s completed 13-of-20 passes for 168 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks officially set their 53-man roster

Updated Seahawks win/loss record by uniform headed into 2024

Seahawks won’t allow Geno Smith contract to be a distraction

Week 1 Washington college football round-up

Samson Nacua disappointed after almost making the play of the day

Samson Nacua isn’t eager to check the family group chat after his almost-kick six. ‘I am going to be sick, because I know I’m faster than Puka’

It’s not often you get to say you almost made the play of the day. Samson Nacua was as blown away by his big kick return against the Tennessee Titans as everyone watching in the stands and at home. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver fielded a too-short field goal try just before halftime and returned it, officially, 106 yards before being thrown out of bounds around the 3-yard line.

“Going sideways made it feel like an extra sixty yards. Because I got to that fifty yard line and I was like, ‘My legs are gone,'” Nacua laughed to reporters after the game. He said he could hear his teammates on the sideline cheering him on and that energy helped him keep going. He’s still frustrated he came up short of the goal line: “Oh a hundred percent I’m disappointed. Coach said too, like, ‘It’s the end of the half, no matter what get it in, don’t get tackled with the ball.’ And what did I do? I got freaking tackled with the ball and I let the guys down. I should’ve pitched it to the homeboy that was right there, let him walk it in for me.”

He’s taking this one on the chin. Nacua didn’t expect the kick to fall to him in the end zone, at first; but when the first try barely cleared the crossbar, he realized he had a chance. So he adjusted his positioning and trusted the practice reps that special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi had given him to set him up for success. It’s just a shame he couldn’t go the distance.

Now he’s getting razzed by his famous brother Puka Nacua, the Los Angeles Rams star, in the family group chat: “They’re probably going to tell me I’m the slower brother, and I am going to be sick, because I know I’m faster than Puka.” For the record, Puka Nacua timed the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds at his BYU pro day. Samson Nacua timed a 4.52 on the same track a year earlier.

And did he keep the football? No, and Nacua says he wouldn’t have accepted it if it were offered. His big regret about this play is that he let his teammates blocking for him down by not punching into the end zone. All he can do now is hope he gets another opportunity to make good on it. It almost seems like he feels he owes them one.

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Rookie Suamataia on Jaguars match: ‘I can play with these guys, I belong here’

After another day of work put in at training camp on Tuesday, Suamataia spoke with the press on his progress with the team after the first outing against the Jaguars and a month of practicing with the team and working with Andy Reid and Matt Nagy “coaching him up.”

One of the many standout new faces in the Kansas City Chiefs organization is rookie offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia, a second-round 2024 draft pick from BYU with a collegiate record that hinted at serious potential NFL star power in this pick.

Kansas City Chiefs leadership is so impressed with the rookie tackle he is expected to be a starter as the Chiefs are beginning their campaign toward another Super Bowl.

Reporters asked the rookie tackle what he is doing to adjust to his new role, and he explained “Just staying in the playbook, day in and day out – you can never study too much. Just make it a habit of mine, to you know, right before I go to bed, right as I wake up just having the refresh in my mind so I can just go out there and play loose and free.”

Getting into the experience in the first game, Kingsley Suamataia shared “It went good, you know I went against one of the best pass rushers in the league, Josh Allen, but he’s a dog, I watched him since I was in college. It was a great experience to get to, it’s funny, like ok, I went against these guys, I belong here, I can play with these guys.”

Touching on his perimeter passing, Suamataia said “it was fun, I didn’t run out here for nothing, so I run it down 20 yards, 30 yards, maybe even 50 sometimes, but um when I run out there I know that’s the play we’re going to score on, so every time I go out there I can show how fast I am.”

Eager and athletic, the rookie Kingsley Suamataia looks poised to be a future Kansas City Chiefs’ standout, expect to see him in the upcoming exhibition match when the Chiefs face the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium.

Saints sign Samson Nacua, brother of Rams star Puka Nacua

The New Orleans Saints signed wide receiver Samson Nacua, the older brother of Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua:

More reinforcements are on the way for the New Orleans Saints. The black and gold announced Friday that they had signed wide receiver Samson Nacua, the older brother of Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua. He played at Utah for five years before transferring to BYU in 2021 where he got to play alongside his younger brother.

He’s taken a harder road to the NFL. Initially signed by the Indianapolis Colts as as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Nacua most recently suited up for the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers in 2023 and the UFL’s Michigan Panthers in 2024 after the spring league merged with the XFL.

The Saints were shorthanded in the receiving corps after injuries sidelined Cedrick Wilson Jr., Equanimeous St. Brown, and rookie draft pick Bub Means. In addition to Nacua, they re-signed Marquez Callaway, who spent last season on their practice squad. Backup quarterback Nathan Peterman was let go in a corresponding move.

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Notre Dame no longer will participate in Rady Children’s Invitational

Make your plans for Vegas instead of San Diego.

When it was announced that Notre Dame would compete in a NIL-type tournament in Las Vegas this season, one thing might have been forgotten. Before the start of the past season, the Irish agreed to take part in the 2024 Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego. But that won’t be the case any longer.

With the events conflicting with each other and the money involved with the Players Era Festival, the San Diego tournament officially will not feature the Irish. They, along with Arkansas, reportedly have opted out of their obligation, which involved a $200,000 buyout provision. They have been replaced by Ole Miss and Irish ACC rival NC State. Purdue and BYU will remain part of the invitational.

The writing for this was on the wall the moment the Players Era Festival was announced. No team in the NIL era is going to turn down an opportunity to financially benefit its players. Such is the new reality of college sports.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89