BYU basketball star freshman Egor Demin made an eye-opening statement on his future with the program. The Cougars' first Sweet 16 appearance since 2011 did not go as planned. Second-seeded Alabama caught fire on Thursday, shattering the NCAA record for three-point field goals (25) in a game to clinch the 113-88 victory. While this clash wasn't all that competitive, BYU's first year under head coach Kevin Young was an undisputed success.

And year two has a chance to be even better, especially with the latest news this program is getting. The No. 1 recruit in the country, AJ Dybantsa, is coming to Provo this offseason, and next year's team can technically return three starters from this year's. One of those players is Egor Demin, who was BYU basketball's star recruit this season and was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. While the 19-year-old is a projected lottery pick, he seemed really tempted to return to the program in his postgame interview.

“As you know AJ is coming, and he could be one of the reason why I wanna be back next year.. my decision earlier in the summer to come here wasn’t a mistake at all.”

BYU basketball is built to reach heights the program has never been to before

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The Cougars ran into a buzzsaw in the Crimson Tide on Thursday. BYU basketball's primary weakness on defense was exposed, and this group was burned by Alabama's pace and efficient shooting. Kevin Young's team also struggled from three-point range, shooting 6/30 from the field. Demin struggled from distance as well, but was still able to put up 15 points, seven assists, and two steals. In the Cougars' three NCAA Tournament matchups, the Moscow native averaged 13.7 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game.

BYU basketball finished the season winning eleven of its last 13 games. During this stretch, this team picked up impressive wins against Kansas, Arizona, Iowa State (twice), and Wisconsin. In addition to Demin, one of the standout players on this run was junior Richie Saunders. The Riverton, Utah native was one of the breakout stars this NCAA Tournament and seems due for an All-American caliber season next year. A Demin, Dybantsa, and Saunders trio would make the Cougars at least a preseason top-ten team. And that's a conservative estimate.

Overall, the Russian superstar will have a lot of things to mull over the next few weeks. Demin has the chance to return to Prove with the goal of helping BYU basketball reach it heights it's never been to before, like making a first Final Four. Or he can go off to the NBA, where he will surely have a successful long career. Either way, it's a good time to be a BYU basketball fan, and the best is yet to come.