Highlights from Kevin Young's first Marriott Madness at BYU – Deseret News

Kevin Young's tenure at BYU has been all about business so far, and the first fruits of his labor were clearly on display Thursday night.

The Cougars' new men's basketball coach was the star of BYU's annual Marriott Madness festivities, whether he wanted to or not. Young didn't seek the spotlight – he spoke more briefly to the students and fans there while sitting off to the side with his wife and young children for most of the night – but those in attendance found it hard not to direct their adoration at the man who just enjoyed arguably the most exciting offseason in program history.

Young really didn't have to say or do much at Marriott Madness. The players he recruited to the Marriott Center were the talk of the town just by their presence, igniting the hardwood hype that has spread like wildfire since he was hired last April.

Highly touted freshmen Kanon Catchings and Elijah Crawford caught everyone's attention by competing in a dunk contest and delivering slams not typically seen in Provo.

Crawford even managed to do a windmill jump over Cosmo the Cougar – was this Marriott Madness or NBA All-Star Weekend?

Familiar faces returned in Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders, two key members of BYU's department last season who terrified the entire Cougar Nation when they each entered the transfer portal following Mark Pope's departure to Kentucky.

Young managed to lure the two prized guards back into his fold, and Marriott Madness gave fans their first real opportunity to welcome them home. Both players stayed even after the event ended to continue communicating with each other and feeling the love.

But no one fascinated the audience as much as Egor Demin.

The prized Russian prospect may be the most popular guy on campus these days, which is exactly what being a top-10 NBA draft pick will mean for you. News of his signing with BYU (via a Woj bomb, no less) in May caused hysteria among the fan base, and there was a lot of excitement on Thursday when Demin got his first real introduction at the Marriott Center.

While many other players from the men's and women's teams fired three-pointers in a shootout contest, Demin commanded most of the looks as mesmerized fans watched in muted awe, exploding after each clean shot. Every Demin shot felt different. All the Cougar supporters seemed to understand the potential greatness in their midst.

As if being in the same building as Demin wasn't close enough, he decided to get even closer and climbed into the ROC student section to take part in the tradition of swaying back and forth to Kanye West's “Power.”

It was a scene that resembled a championship celebration, even though Demin had yet to play a game for the Cougars — but that didn't stop some of the students in attendance Thursday from wearing his No. 3 jersey. Maybe one day it will hang in the rafters of the Marriott Center.

Young ended the evening in style by putting his coaching hat back on. He explained his specific game plan tailored to the ROC: The Cougars want to grab as many offensive rebounds as possible this year and then return the ball to an open shooter for a 3-point play in what Young called a “bingo.” throw outside.

In such cases, Young said, students must go crazy playing bingo. A practice run ensued in which Utah transfer Keba Keita hauled in a board and handed it to sharpshooter Dawson Baker, who practiced the shot on his first attempt, sparking BYU's first bingo frenzy.

Expectations are high for Young's roster in his first season with the Cougars, but his job isn't just about winning games and sending his players to the NBA – he's tasked with keeping the Marriott Center as loud as possible.

Although Thursday's Marriott Madness was his first such test, Young passed it with flying colors.