The Kevin Young era at BYU begins with Marriott Madness

Kevin Young’s tenure at BYU has been all business thus far, and the early fruits of his labor were on full display Thursday night.

The new Cougars men’s basketball coach was the star of BYU’s annual Marriott Madness festivities, whether he wanted to be or not. Young didn’t seek out the spotlight — he spoke somewhat briefly to the students and fans there while spending most of the night sitting aside with his wife and young children — but it was hard for those in attendance not to direct their adoration toward 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 did plenty of talking for him just by being there, fanning the flames of hardwood hype that have spread like wildfire since his hiring this past April.

Highly-touted freshmen Kanon Catchings and Elijah Crawford got everyone’s attention by competing against each other in a dunk contest, trading the kind of slams that aren’t typically seen in Provo.

Crawford even managed to pull off a leaping windmill over Cosmo the Cougar — was this Marriott Madness or NBA All-Star Weekend?

There were familiar faces returning in Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders, two key pieces of BYU’s operation last season who frightened all of Cougar Nation when they each dipped into the transfer portal upon Mark Pope’s exit to Kentucky.

Young managed to lure the pair of valuable guards back into his fold, and Marriott Madness marked the first real opportunity for fans to welcome them home. Both players stayed well after the event’s conclusion to keep mingling and feeling the love.

But no one captivated the crowd quite like Egor Demin.

The prized Russian prospect may very well be the most popular man on campus these days — that’s what being a projected NBA top-10 draft selection will do for you. News of his signing to BYU (via a Woj Bomb , no less) in May caused hysteria within the fan base , and such excitement prevailed Thursday as Demin was given his first true Marriott Center introduction.

While plenty of other players from the men and women’s teams launched 3-pointers for a shootout competition, Demin demanded the most eyeballs as mesmerized fans observed in hushed awe, exploding following each clean make. Every Demin shot felt different. Cougar supporters all 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, climbing 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 akin to that of a championship celebration, despite Demin having yet to play a game for the Cougars — though that didn’t stop a number of students in attendance Thursday from sporting his No. 3 jersey. Perhaps one day it will hang in the Marriott Center rafters.

Young closed the evening appropriately by putting his coach’s hat back on. He explained his specific game plan tailored for the ROC — the Cougars are looking to grab as many offensive rebounds as possible this year, then kick the ball back outside to an open shooter for a 3-pointer in what Young calls a “Bingo” play.

In such occurrences, Young instructed, the students would need to go berserk for bingo. A practice run ensued, with Utah transfer Keba Keita hauling in a board and dishing it out to sharpshooter Dawson Baker, who drilled the shot on his first try and ignited BYU’s first bingo boisterousness.

Expectations are high for Young’s squad in his inaugural campaign with the Cougars, but his job is more than just to win games and send his players to the NBA — he’s been tasked with keeping the Marriott Center as loud as possible.

If Thursday’s Marriott Madness was his first such test, Young passed with flying colors.