Cougars debut in Annual Blue and White Game

PROVO, Utah — BYU men’s basketball offered fans their first glimpse of its 2024-25 team in the Blue and White Game at the Marriott Center on Wednesday night.

First Half Recap
Egor Demin and Keba Keita wasted no time introducing themselves to Cougar fans and getting the Blue team on the board 2-0. Keita won the opening tip and Demin drove the ball into the paint before sending it skyward and into Keita’s hands for the alley-oop slam.

The White team was quick to respond with Mawot Mag collecting a pass beneath the basket and going up to score with the foul. Mag’s free throw make put White up 3-2.

Team White extended its lead to 10-6 with another driving score from Mag along with a putback bucket from Fousseyni Traore and Richie Saunders 3-pointer.

Kanon Catchings began the game for the Blue team with a drive and dunk down low, then sparked Blue to regain the lead at 11-10. The freshman from Brownsburg, Indiana eluded the active hands of Saunders and scored on the drive to bring Blue within two at 10-8. Catchings then gave Blue the lead with a corner 3-pointer.

Newcomer Mihailo Boskovic made his presence felt with eight quick points as both teams tightened the game with a barrage of 3-pointers.

Boskovic drained a triple from the top of the key to put White up 14-13. Team Blue fired right back with Elijah Crawford kicking out to Trey Stewart for a 3-pointer from the corner. After free throws for Blue from Crawford and a lay-in for White from Mag, the game was knotted at 18. Crawford buried a 3-pointer for Blue only to watch Boskovic nail another from deep on the other end.

Team White had the final say in the 3-point shootout with Brody Kozlowski hitting a trey from the corner to give White a 24-21 lead.

Traore and Saunders combined for eight points as Team White worked its way to a 32-29 advantage. Team Blue then roared to life and finished the half on a 20-7 run.

Stewart knocked down his second 3-pointer of the night to tie the game at 32, then kept White off the board on consecutive possessions with a block followed by a steal. Demin extended the Blue lead to 35-32 with a 3-point play on a dunk. Trevin Knell went 1-of-2 from beyond the arc on Blue’s next two possessions. While Knell missed his second attempt, Keita was there to clean it up with an emphatic one-hand putback slam.

Hall cut into Blue’s newfound 40-34 lead with a three from the top of the key but Keita scored on two more trips down the floor for a 45-37 Blue lead. Team Blue finished the half with Demin knocking down a pair of free throws before Stewart brought a defensive rebound down floor and sent an alley-oop to Catchings for the 49-39 halftime lead. 

After 20 minutes of first-half play, the teams were restructured before 12 minutes of second-half play. 

Second Half Recap
Both sides matched one another early from the three with Saunders and Traore each finding the net within the first few possessions. Hall drove into the basket to put the white team up 8-5 in the second half before a media timeout. 

Switching to the White team, Keita tossed down the ball for another dunk at the rim out of the break. Catchings dropped a trey just outside the left top of the e-point line to extend the white team’s lead 16-8. 

The blue team broke up the white team’s defense with a made layup by Dawson Baker off a turnover. Max Triplett stopped the momentum with a block down in the key. The White team took momentum with Demin tossed to Saunders down low who found a layup to extend the lead 28-13. 

With just over a minute to go, Traore locked in a three from the top of the arc. Crawford earned another basket on the inbound play sneaking a turnover. The white team remained in control of the scoreboard through the last sixty seconds ending the contest 32-20

Up Next
The Cougars continue to practice in preparation for the regular season opener versus Central Arkansas on Nov. 5. Fans have one more opportunity to see BYU in preseason action as it faces Colorado Christian in an exhibition game on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. MDT. Live play-by-play of BYU and Colorado Christian will be available on BYU Radio. 

Quotes

Kevin Young

On the atmosphere at the Marriott Center tonight

“It was just fun. I told the coaches on the bench during the second half, ‘I could do this all night.’ You hear about the energy of the Marriott Center and it wasn’t even all the way filled tonight but was still a great atmosphere.”

On how training camp is progressing

“It’s been a fun training camp because our guys compete really hard against each other. I think my biggest takeaway from tonight is that our team chemistry is really starting to come together.”

On the personnel rotations tonight

“We’re still very much into analyzing our group and figuring out who plays well with who. We stayed away from some lineups tonight because I’ve already seen enough in practice. That’s something we will continue to evaluate and chew on with this game film.”

On Egor Demin’s passing ability

“His passing ability is special. He has ability to see the low man, the roller and quarterback the gym. Tonight was the best he’s looked against aggressive pick-and-roll defense. He’s starting to figure out the cadence of back-dribbling. That will give him more time like a quarterback dropping back to pass.”

On Mihailo Boskovic

“Mihailo looked really good in the first half. He showed exactly why we wanted him here. He’s versatile. He can play multiple positions. He’s smart and he can make shots.”

On Kanon Catchings

“He has a gift. He’s a natural scorer. He’s a guy we really wanted because he’s different from what we had. He can bail you out because of his shot-making. I think if he can really guard, he’s going to put our team in a whole different hemisphere. He’s as talented as anyone we’re going to play against.

Mihailo Boskovic

On tonight’s experience

“We tried to have fun out there and tried some things that we’ve been establishing this past month or so. We saw how our arena can be crowded, and it wasn’t even half full. It was rocking and I can’t wait to be in front of a full crowd.”

On his experience at BYU so far 

“In one month, I think I’ve accomplished meeting and enjoying everybody. I’ve met a lot of people and everybody’s great. Basketball wise, I think there’s a lot of stuff to implement in all our games. I’m catching up but still have a long way to go. The season starts in thirty days, so we have time.”

On why he chose BYU 

“I had a talk with Coach Young at the beginning of the summer and I thought whatever he said was great. He was an NBA coach, so he knows how to coach basketball, of course, but he knows all the nuances and stuff that he’s trying to bring into our playing style. I was intrigued with the opportunity to learn something new and get better. That was my main goal.”

Egor Demin

On tonight’s experience

“I was really cool to feel this court for the first time, see the ROC, feel the energy and just play and have fun.”

On how playing at BYU compares to his previous experience

“To be honest, it’s not even close to the places where I’ve played. I’ve been in many different gyms that were so loud with many people, but it’s a different energy and different atmosphere here. It’s just fun to be here. I can say for everybody that we really enjoyed just being at this gym today.”

On BYU experience as a whole

"It’s been great. People ask me about this and think I’m lying because of how emotional I say that, but it’s true. With all my heart, I’m really enjoying my life here. I’m not only talking about the court and being with the team in the gym, but also outside. I can’t complain about anything.”

On the team’s capability this year

“We don’t have any limits on our team this year. We are working out hard, getting better. We’re coming to the season with the idea of winning every game.”

Dallin Hall 

On what the team accomplished tonight 

“I think tonight was just a good night for us to get some jitters out, play in front of our crowd, and play as a team. I thought it was good for all of us to be in that environment. There’s a little more pressure than practice so that was good. The ROC showed out so shout out to everyone that pulled up.”

On how tonight’s game compares to practice

“I think that was a good insight of what we’re trying to do. I still think we have a little way to go, and that’s going to come with playing together for this next month and learning each other’s tendencies and just developing that team chemistry. I think you see a glimpse of what we’re capable of, and we’re excited to keep getting better every day. Like Egor (Demin) said, there’s no limits for this team, and it’s just about staying present.”

On starting five and knowing roles as players

“As of right now, everyone’s just competing at a really high level, and Coach is figuring that out. The great thing about the guys that Coach has brought in and kept here is that the only thigs on everyone’s mind is winning. We’re going to put that first. Everyone’s going to sacrifice for the team and that should take care of itself.”

On learning and running a new system

“I think it’s a work in progress. I think Coach Young is a phenomenal coach. He inspires us to play with a lot of confidence. I will say that Coach Young did an incredible job of bringing in the right players. I’m surrounded by NBA talent, right? We have the pieces, coaches coaching us, and I feel like it’s coming along. I’m just trying my best to fulfill my role for this team."