Sarnia's Joe Rocca is set to make his pro basketball debut Thursday night with the Niagara River Lions of the NBL.
Rocca was signed last week after helping lead Carleton University to a National Championship.
During his five season in the OUA with McMaster and Carleton, the former St. Christopher standout averaged 12.3 points and 4.6 rebounds. He helped lead his high school team to an appearance in the OFSAA Championship game during his final season.
Rocca says he's looking forward to getting his first taste of professional basketball.
"I'm excited, it's going to be a little bit of a change, but it's a good opportunity for me to get my feet wet and get a feel for what the pro life is like," says Rocca. "I don't know how much I'll play right away, but I'm excited to get into the environment and integrate myself into that a little bit."
He says he was training in Ottawa when he got the call from the team.
"It happened very quickly, I knew I was going to pursue playing professionally, but I expected it to be the start of next season, I didn't think it'd be so quickly," says Rocca. "I drove down to Niagara the same day I got the call to talk to the GM, and it just went from there."
Rocca will wear number seven when the River Lions begin an Eastern road swing in PEI tonight. The River Lions are 10-23 on the season, last place in the five team Central Division.
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Interview with Joe Rocca:
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Joe-Rocca-INT.mp3"][/audio]