Roc the Rink Knight is a celebration for the City of Rochester. For Knighthawks transition player Joe Post, it’s a celebration of home.
Getting ready for tomorrow and we had some…miscommunication 🫣 pic.twitter.com/gXYWUpQEwZ
— Rochester Knighthawks (@RocKnighthawks) March 29, 2024
Post was born and raised in Canandaigua, a small town half an hour outside of Rochester.
“For me, it’s kind of just the small-town feel,” said Post. “In Canandaigua, but also in Rochester, everyone knows each other, and I really enjoy that part about it.”
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK – JANUARY 14: Rochester Knighthawks v Buffalo Bandits January 14, 2024 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu)
Post was the youngest of four growing up on the countryside in the house his father built for their family. Sandwiched in-between farmland was where Post had a backyard and a lacrosse stick at a young age. He would meet players from the past iteration of Rochester Knighthawks not long after that.
“It must have been some sort of promotion that the Knighthawks were doing, but it was at Canandaigua with the Native American museum and longhouse and all of that. There was a lacrosse game there and all these youth teams came and got to meet the Knighthawks and play pass with them and just talk to them a little bit. That was really cool. That’s a memory that definitely stands out to me.
That memory helped motivate Post to pursue the medicine game moving forward. Fast forward to his adolescence and Post chose St. John Fisher University to attend school nearby. In doing so, he played five seasons at the Division III level, going on to post all-time numbers unparalleled by his peers.
Rochesther vs Halifax 01-27-2024
Post became the second Cardinal in program history to be named Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year. He was a two-time All-American, and by the time his 78-game collegiate tenure ended, Post had won more face-offs and recovered more groundballs than anybody in the history of Division III lacrosse.
That success in college led to opportunity at the professional level. Last March, Post, an undrafted player, signed his first pro contract to join his team from down the road, the Rochester Knighthawks.
“He’s brought us a confidence level that makes our defense fresher,” said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. “Historically, our defense has been on the floor more often than not. He’s winning 62-65% of face-offs. He makes us fresher, so we have that ability to push wave after wave. Offensively, he’s allowed us to stay in a groove and build on our shifts to have success. He’s not just a face-off guy for us. When he’s on the floor, he plays good defense. He’s still getting used to the indoor game with all the little nuances, but he’s becoming an elite face-off guy that is becoming a really big part of our team.”
The 25-year-old designated face-off specialist led St. John Fisher to three NCAA National Championship appearances, but now, he looks to help a Knighthawks team find their way into the 2024 NLL Playoffs. When he’s not helping his teammates, Post is helping the next generation of lacrosse players. He’s a teacher at Canandaigua Academy and a coach for their team.
“I think there’s a lot of relationships between sports and life in general,” said Post. “Something that I talk with my players about is overcoming adversity and going through tough, tough days or tough games. It’s not always going to go smoothly and work out your way. Being able to adapt and change and overcome is something that I think you have to do in sports and in life.”
Those messages carry a deep meaning for Post, not only because of his passion for helping the next wave of kids, but because he’s doing so in his backyard. He’s giving back to the only place he’s called home, and it’s the only place he ever wants to be.
“This area’s a really special place and it’s home for me. It’s beautiful. I love the seasons. I love being around my family. I love being around my friends and I never really thought about going away. There’s kind of been brief moments when you’re going through the college process and the job search where you kind of think about it, but I guess in that process, it really made me realize that there’s nowhere else I’d really rather be.
“Canandaigua is where it is because so many people come back. You know, you look at the teachers in the school district, the coaches on the coaching staff really, you know, anywhere around town of the people working there, graduates of Canandaigua. And I think that’s really cool and adds to the community.”
