By Brian Thomas
Staff Writer
On Friday night, the Jean Walker Field-house played host to Fandemonium, an annual event held by the boys’ basketball team.  There was a great turnout of about 75 boys from the community. The boys participated in a variety of competitions, the varsity team had its Blue and White scrimmage and then at the end there was an autograph session that the players hosted with the kids.
Fandamonium was started by head varsity coach, John Camardella in his first year as head coach because he wanted to get people excited about Prospect basketball.
“I wanted Fandemonium to be what Midnight Madness is to college basketball, which is a kickoff to the season,” Camardella said. “I [wanted] to generate a fan base and get the community excited about our basketball team so that they [would] support us during the year.”
To get the community excited about the basketball team, the varsity had their Blue and White scrimmage.  Camardella and assistant coach Brad Rathe held a draft to split up the teams. Camardella then coached the Blue team, while Rathe coached the White team.
Camardella likes the Blue and White scrimmage so much because it lets people see what the team will be like.
“The Blue and White scrimmage gives everyone a glimpse of what we as a team are capable of,” Camardella said. “It is also beneficial to our players, as they are still learning to play together, as well as playing in front of a crowd for the first time.”
Senior co-captain Joe LaTulip agrees with Camardella.
“Playing in this game really helps a lot of our younger guys in the long run,” LaTulip said. “It teaches them how to play in front of a crowd. They need to be confident and they can’t get scared no matter what.”
It was an exciting game throughout, but the White team took the lead early and never looked back. They won the game 48-35.
After the game, Camardella was proud of his team, but he knows that there is still work to do.
“We know that we have a very good offensive team and that anyone can score for us,” Camardella said.  “But we still need to work on the defensive side of the ball. We need to be able to make big stops and get rebounds.”
LaTulip also learned something about his team from this game.
“This team has lots of depth and it’s actually the deepest team I have been a part of,” he said. “We have a great offense and anyone can come in off the bench and produce for our team.”
Prospect will start their season off with their tournament at St. Patrick’s High School next week.  Camardella is really looking forward to the tournament and is interested to see how his team will respond and play in a tough environment.
“St. Patrick’s is one of the toughest places to play and they are one of the top teams in the state,” said Camardella. “In order for us to be successful, we have to play physical and we can’t be scared.”
LaTulip is really looking forward to the tournament and he thinks that they can do well.
“This tournament will be a great way for us to start the year,” he said. “But I’m really looking forward to playing St. Patrick’s on Saturday. It will be one of our biggest tests and it is going to give us a good idea of where we’re at as a team.”