2025 Northwest Herald Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Crystal Lake South’s AJ Demirov

He came into this world with basketball in mind.

And before long, he had a basketball in his tiny hands.

Anthony Jordan Demirov is the younger brother of Ethan Michael and the baby child of Jason and Rebecca. Notice the two sons’ middle names.

“My dad actually wanted to name one of us Michael Jordan, but mom was like, ‘Nah, that’s not happening,‘” Anthony Jordan said with a laugh.

High school basketball fans know Anthony Jordan as AJ. For the past four winters, AJ Demirov has flashed MJ ball skills and caused havoc for Crystal Lake South opponents.

The 6-foot senior point guard averaged 18.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds a game this season in leading the Gators to a 30-5 record (their second 30-win season in a row), a share of the Fox Valley Conference championship with McHenry and third-straight Class 3A regional title. He poured in 43 points on a February night at Hampshire.

Demirov, who became South’s all-time leading scorer in February, is the Northwest Herald Boys Basketball Player of the Year for the second year in a row, as voted on by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Demirov is the first repeat winner since Johnsburg’s Zach Toussaint in 2018 and 2019.

Recently, the Newberry College-bound Demirov, whose 1,997 points in four varsity seasons are the most by an FVC player, answered several questions from sports writer Joe Aguilar.

You committed in the last week to continue your basketball career at Newberry College, which plays at the NCAA Division-II level in the South Atlantic Conference. What made the South Carolina college attractive to you?

Demirov: I think it’s really important, especially in this day and age with the transfer portal and stuff, to go somewhere where you’re actually wanted and where you’re going to be able to compete for a chance to play. I just feel like it was my best chance to go somewhere, be able to compete and get minutes right away, and hopefully just do very well there.

In the days following the team’s 49-37 loss to Kaneland in the Class 3A Rochelle Sectional final, in which you fell three points shy of 2,000 for your career, how did you process it all?

Demirov: Finishing three points shy of 2,000 is not really a big deal to me. If we would have won that game and I had zero points, that would have been fine with me as long as I helped my team win. As far as the loss goes, that’s kind of what the sport is about. You never know who you’re going to run into on any given night. I’m just happy that my career is not over. I still got a lot of games left in my career, so I’m not going to dwell on one game. I know it was the end of my high school career, but there’s a lot to be happy about what happened throughout these four years.

Who was your most underrated teammate this season?

Demirov: I would say Tony Santarelli [6-5 senior guard/forward]. Being at the top of our 1-3-1 [zone defense], he’s probably the least talked about guy, but he probably averages 3-4 steals a game. And it’s not just steals, it’s the amount of deflections he gets. He just causes disruption at the top of the whole 1-3-1 that we play.

Ten years from now, which of your teammates will be the most successful in life?

Demirov: Either Tony (Santarelli) or (sophomore) Nick Stowasser. Nick is a smart, resourceful kid. You could ask him anything. He’s like the internet. You ask him whatever and he’ll come up with an answer for you. And Tony is just a good dude. He’s going to be successful at whatever he chooses to do in life.

Who was the toughest player you faced in the FVC this season?

Demirov: Probably Adam [Anwar of McHenry], the first time we played them. He’s a big dude (6 feet 7). He’ll probably wreak havoc in this conference once I’m gone.

Which is more important for a basketball player: 100 jump shots a day, or 100 free throws a day?

Demirov: I would probably say 100 jump shots a day. Free throws, yeah, you could shoot maybe four to five a game. I didn’t shoot many free throws this season, but I shot a lot of jumpers. I think it’s better if you’re knocking down your jump shots. It seems like when you’re getting shots up, especially jump shots outside of practice, then when you’re in a game, you just feel more confident because you put in the work.

What do you want to study at Newberry?

Demirov: I’m going to major in business and then get a minor in finance. I’m not completely sure yet [what career I’m going to pursue after graduation], but I’m sure once I go there and start learning about it, I’ll start to look into a career more.

Who’s your go-to person when you need to talk about basketball, and who’s your go-to person when you need to talk about life?

Demirov: Probably my parents, for both. Throughout my life, I’ve always had a good relationship with my parents to the point where we can talk to them about just about anything. I talk [more] to my mom about life, for sure, and my dad about basketball.

Who’s your favorite point guard?

Demirov: My favorite is definitely Kyrie [Irving of the Dallas Mavericks]. My whole life he’s been my favorite. I think it was like 2016, when [Irving, LeBron James and the Cavaliers] were playing the Warriors in the finals [and won in seven games]. That’s when he became my favorite player because that’s when I first started really watching basketball. It wasn’t even like watching basketball. It was like watching someone dance. Everything he does is so smooth.