Egor Demin is an 18-year-old Russian basketball player who amazes with his indomitable determination and professional approach to the game. As part of a special project, “Championship” had the opportunity to talk with Egor about the upcoming season in the United States. He, like any athlete, is focused on success and has a serious attitude to self-improvement, which instantly attracts attention. His hard work and discipline are evident. Egor understands that the path to professional sports takes time and prefers to focus on current tasks, without looking too far into the future. In the future, Demin can become an NBA player and make a name for himself in the league. However, the first test is scheduled for October 30, when Brigham Young University (BYU), where the hero of our material plays, will play an exhibition match against Colorado Christian.
Egor Demin (left)
Photo: byucougars.com
—Have preparations for the new season already begun? — Yes, preparations are in full swing. I arrived later than the others, in early July. The team started training in June. At the end of summer we had a two-week vacation, I went to Russia, saw my parents and friends. Now we are back and continuing our preparations.
— What goals do you set for yourself for next season, both personally and as a team? — First of all, my goal is to become the best I can be. This is both my personal goal and the goal of the team: to help each other grow and become better every day. If everyone tries to improve, success will come by itself. The main goal is to win and reach as high as possible.
“You mean March Madness?” – Yes, yes, we don’t put any restrictions.
—Have official season goals been discussed with the coach or the management of the university’s basketball program? — There are still almost two months to go before the start of the season and, of course, we will discuss the goals for the season. Kevin Young is an NBA coach, we have a good team, it is unlikely that they will put any limits on us. In the meantime, we are preparing ourselves, the main thing is to do our best.
— How do you rate your chances of participating in the NBA draft? Do you think the NCAA is an important step in that direction? — Yes, college is an important step. First of all, it helps in development and preparation for the next stage. But I don’t want to talk about the draft and the NBA yet: the season hasn’t started yet and it’s too early to make predictions. Now all the focus is on this season.
BYU University Education
Photo: byucougars.com
—Maximum here and now? — Yes, the main goal is to work as much as possible for the next step.
— How are you doing adapting to the United States? What changed after the move? — I feel comfortable, my surroundings don’t bother me. For me, everyone has become as close as my friends from Madrid, with whom I spent three years. As for everyday life, I’m still getting used to it, I live alone in a rented apartment, but the process continues.
—Does the university not provide accommodation? — There is accommodation at the university, on campus, but I feel more comfortable living alone, especially after Madrid, where I shared a room for three years. If we are still talking about adaptation, then I started the process of obtaining a driving license. I want to drive a car in winter.
— Do you feel any extra pressure given the large number of basketball fans in your city? — There is no pressure as such, but of course a lot is expected of us. Everyone expects a spectacular season, a high result. The team has the best roster in the history of the university, including the coach, who mainly influences everything. Everyone expects victories and successes, which gives its own echo. But I have to be prepared for the pressure, I try to cope with it. You have to think about this, because in any case you will have to go through it. At least after successful games, at least after unsuccessful games.
— In the United States, college basketball has huge stadiums, unlike in Russia. What do you think is the reason for this? — Let’s take our stadium as an example: if I’m not mistaken, it can hold about 20 thousand spectators. Simply unbelievable! This is an absolute shock for me. I haven’t seen it full yet, but imagining us playing there, it’s certainly something… I think it’s part of the culture. Americans love sports: basketball, American football, baseball. College basketball is interesting because the players are close to the public, they can be your classmates that you see every day. This adds interest.
I constantly meet a lot of people on the street who just want to talk. Maybe they don’t even know that I’m on the basketball team. At the same time, there are people who know literally everything about me. That I came from Russia, where I was born, when I moved to the United States, it’s amazing how close people are to basketball and, in particular, to us. [игрокам]Sports are a part of American life.
Egor Demin with the ball
Photo: byucougars.com
— How do you plan to combine your studies with your training? How important is education for you? — Education is important. A diploma from an American university is very serious. Being in college means new acquaintances, knowledge and opportunities. I would say it is a process of growth, now I have certain responsibilities. The educational process is adapted to sports, so we can both study and train. BYU has serious academic requirements. I have to play basketball, but I also don’t forget to study.
— How did you adapt to the new team? Have you met anyone? — The adaptation was very easy, I expected more difficulties. Actually, it was a bit exciting because it was a new culture, different people, different foundations. But I was received as positively as possible by the coaches, players and fans. I feel comfortable, as if I had been in this team for 10 years. I became very friendly with everyone, I feel very comfortable.
Everyone is very interested in the fact that I am Russian. I was asked whether there was any negativity or not. In fact, there is no such thing. For everyone, on the contrary, it evokes only positive emotions. They ask you to tell me something interesting about Russia.
— Is there any tradition within the team? For example, in the NBA, rookies used to carry balls. — We don’t have such traditions, but I decided to treat the team to donuts when I arrived and brought back souvenirs from Russia after the holidays. This was my wish.
— What do you think of your coach Kevin Young? He came from the NBA. Is there anything that has particularly impressed you? “During these two months I have received a lot of information from him. His professionalism, level and status are very strongly felt. He is as professional as he is easy to communicate with. I have very positive impressions of him.
— You mentioned earlier that you’re inspired by the work of Shay Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. Is there anyone else you follow in the NBA? — I follow a lot of players. But I would describe it this way: I don’t follow Luka and Shay simply because they are who they are. I watch them because I want to learn what they do best. This applies to any NBA player who does something better than others. For example, with Shay, I’m interested in how he uses his body despite his mediocre physique compared to other NBA athletes. I try to adopt technical aspects from Luke. I also follow Kyrie Irving; although his style is not exactly mine, he has a lot of things to learn.
Egor Demin
Photo: byucougars.com
—Who was your idol as a child? — When I was a kid, Stephen Curry inspired me, like a lot of kids. I don’t want to say out loud that Curry instilled in me a love of basketball, but he’s someone I looked up to and admired.
— Were there people you admired in the Russian basketball school? — Yes, I often attended Khimki matches and for me Alexey Shved’s performances were something extraterrestrial, not from our planet. I reached out and tried hard to reach his level.
— Your father was a professional basketball player. Do you admire him? – Yes, of course. We are very close and my parents always help me with advice, since my mother was also a basketball player. Both my brother and the whole family are trying to improve me. I try to learn from them as much as possible so that I can then apply it in my work.
—Do you talk about your games with your family? – Constantly. Every game is always discussed, even the training sessions. In Madrid this happened more often because there were no problems with the time difference. We called each other every day, I tried to call my parents every day and we talked about every training session. I talked about all the details, about how everything went.
—Did you receive a hat from your father? – Yes (laughs), it was. I received and continue to receive periodically.
Yegor Demin’s throwing training
Photo: byucougars.com
—Do you have any interests or hobbies outside of basketball that help you relax? — This is not exactly a hobby, but something I can do in my free time. I do yoga, it is a passion both for professional development and for leisure. I go to football matches with the guys on the team, and in my free time I read books that I take with me from Russia. We often communicate with Travis (Travis Hansen is a former professional basketball player who played in the NBA, Russia and Real Madrid, graduated from BYU and is now one of the team’s consultants. – Championship note) and his family at their home.
— In Russia, there is often talk about security problems in the United States. Have you noticed anything like this? For example, guns on the streets? – It is difficult to say for the whole of the United States. We chose this university because we knew, among other things, that the level of security was very high. I have not encountered such problems. One day we were driving home from a training session with a colleague and on the way we stopped at a store. He left the car with the windows open and inside was a wallet and other valuables. I was very surprised. But I was assured that everything was safe. People here do not worry at all about such things.
—Is this probably the local flavor specifically in your city? – Yes, people here do not fear for their property. There are no fences and this is not unusual in the United States. But this case is indicative: the level of security here is very high.
— And the last question: what do you think you could improve in your game to be more competitive? — I put a lot of emphasis on physical training: developing strength, speed, jumping. By improving these indicators, I become better at defending. In addition, it is important to always work on shooting: this is a necessary skill in modern basketball. Without a good shot, the chances of success are greatly reduced.
You are reading the material as part of the special project of the Championship “Egor Demin’s path to the NBA”. You can familiarize yourself with the rest of the materials by following the link or by clicking on the block below.
