Sarnia's Joe Rocca has signed a one year deal with the Niagara River Lions of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL).
Rocca joined the River Lions at the end of last year after winning a National Championship with Carleton University.
The former St. Christopher standout is looking forward to starting the season in Niagara.
"I didn't get a chance to play in either London or Windsor last year, so I'm looking forward to playing some games there this season where my family can come watch," says Rocca. "I have a brother living in both London and Windsor so it'll be nice being able to visit with them when I'm in town."
Rocca played in seven games with Niagara last year, where he shot 41.7% from the field.
"The month I was there last season gave me a good look into the league and how the program was run. When the new coach was hired he gave me a call and asked if I wanted to be on board," he says. "There was a couple other options overseas and stuff like that, but I feel for me the best fit for me was in Niagara.
Rocca says he had offers to play professionally overseas but elected to play a little closer to home.
"I'm going to some real estate courses in my free time as well, try and progress my future after basketball," says Rocca. " We all know basketball doesn't last forever so I need to be prepared, that's a big reason why I decided to stay."
Juggling basketball and academics is nothing new for the former student athlete, who took Communications at McMaster University and studied business during his two years at Carleton.
This summer he helped launch the Rocca Elite Basketball Academy with his brother Mike Rocca, the starting point guard at the University of Windsor.
After a very successful camp in July, they've added another at the end of August for high school students, to help them prepare for the upcoming season.