LaTulip's confidence is blooming at Prospect

Confidence has rarely been an issue for Joe LaTulip.

The 5-foot-10 Prospect senior guard wants to be the player taking the big shot. LaTulip wants to make the crucial decision on the key possession or step to the free throw line when the pressure is at its highest.

"I've always been really confident," LaTulip said.

His confidence may be an even bigger problem for opponents as Prospect looks to defend its Mid-Suburban League title and advance beyond last year's trip to the Class 4A sectional semifinals.

Especially after LaTulip played on the Rising Stars AAU team with Ohio State-bound Lenzelle Smith of Zion-Benton, Iowa-bound Ben Brust of Mundelein and Drake-bound Rayvonte Rice of defending 3A state champion Champaign Centennial.

"The experience I got out of that really altered my confidence level," LaTulip said. "The transition from the spring to the high school season helped me a lot in realizing I can play with just about anyone."

LaTulip already displayed it in his second varsity season and first as a starter when he earned all-area honors by averaging 12.8 points and 3.4 assists a game, hitting 56 three-pointers and shooting 91 percent at the free-throw line.

And it was all on display before a packed Jean Walker Field House last February when LaTulip scored a game-high 24 points and had the overtime assist to Kevin Reed which gave the Knights their first MSL title in 23 years.

"The run he had at the end of the year was very special and a statement about the type of player he is," said third-year Prospect coach John Camardella. "When the pressure was bigger and the scene got bigger he seemed to come on as strong as anybody."

LaTulip doesn't come on strong in a way that's overly brash or emotional. But it's also clear he isn't going to unravel after a few missed shots or an errant pass.

"I joke with him that his mentality has always been he's hot or about to get hot," Camardella said with a laugh.

But as a point guard, senior captain and most experienced player, LaTulip knows it won't be to anyone's benefit to get too hot with a struggling teammate on the court.

He learned that as a sophomore role player off the bench and last year from co-captains Reed and Jason Leblebijian. Now it's his turn as a captain with Jack Redding and experienced senior returnees Nsenzi Salasini and Kevin Matkovic.

"The seniors set the tone and it's my attitude that travels down through the juniors and sophomores," LaTulip said. "I take a positive approach to everything.

"You don't get down on yourself and move on to the next play, which I had problems with my sophomore year and last year. If you show a negative attitude it will trickle down to the whole team."

Early last season, LaTulip believed he struggled to find the right balance between getting points for himself and his teammates. But he eventually found it and expects it to continue this season.

"I feel like my court awareness has gotten a lot better," LaTulip said. "It showed I can be a scorer and at the same time I can get the ball to guys in positions to score. It feels like the court has opened up."

And LaTulip gives big assists to his dad Gary, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, and Camardella for his development.

"They really taught me everything I know about basketball," LaTulip said. "They're two great influences to have and I owe them a heck of a lot."

LaTulip, who has a 4.2 grade point average on a 5.0 scale and an ACT superscore of 25, hopes to produce some big payoffs this year and down the road. He's considering Illinois Wesleyan, Hope College, the University of Chicago and Case Western Reserve University and has also received interest from Central Florida and South Dakota.

But his main concern right now is continuing the upward trend of the Prospect program.

"We're still hungry," LaTulip said. "We made the sectional semis and that's great, but I feel this team can definitely get farther."

It's a statement of confidence from Joe LaTulip.