BYU basketball player Egor Demin, a five-star freshman and potential NBA lottery pick, has been cleared by the NCAA and is eligible to play this season.
The eligibility of fellow international prospect Mihailo Boskovic is still being evaluated, a BYU spokesperson said Tuesday.
BYU confirmed the university’s compliance office was working with the NCAA regarding the status of those two players when contacted by The Salt Lake Tribune on Friday. Demin was officially cleared on Thursday, BYU said this week, but the information had not been relayed to the entire athletic department at the time of the school’s comment Friday night.
The NCAA was looking into the amateur status of the two Cougars.
Demin, an 18-year-old from Russia, signed a multi-year contract with Real Madrid when he was 15. Boskovic had been part of a professional organization in Bosnia.
The NCAA allows athletes to sign contracts with professional teams so long as their compensation does not extend beyond “actual and necessary expenses” for their participation, namely travel expenses and room and board.
