ROCHESTER, NY ‑ Rochester continues to sign members of its 2015 Draft Class, as defenseman Adam Bomberry becomes the fourth draft pick to sign with the Knighthawks.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” he said. “It’s something that I have dreamed about since I was little.”
Bomberry was one of six players, and five defensemen, chosen by the Knighthawks at the 2015 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft. Rochester used its fourth pick of the night (16th overall) to take the Six Nations product. The 21-year-old is fresh off his best season of lacrosse in his young career. In 2015, he won three national titles and a silver medal at the FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” said Bomberry about his magical run of titles. “It was a pretty great summer.”
Bomberry started the year by finishing his two-year collegiate career at Onondaga Community College with a perfect 35-0 record, which culminated in two national championships, two regional championships, and two conference titles. In 2015, he was also named All-Conference by the Mid-State Athletic Conference, First Team All-Region and First-Team All-American by the NJCAA.
“He’s a good one. He’s athletic, strong and knows the game really well,” said legendary OCC head coach Chuck Wilbur. “He makes all the right decisions. He understands defense and has a great lacrosse IQ.”
Bomberry found his niche with the Lazers and thrived under Wilbur and his staff.
“It was the time of my life,” he said. “It’s a great school and the coaches there are top of the line. They could be coaching Division I, but they have a good program and a good system there.
“Winning the back-to-back (championships) at OCC showed me what you need to do to succeed. I am really thankful for the opportunity I got to play there.”
After wrapping up his college season, Bomberry rejoined his box lacrosse teams and his winning streak continued. First, he captured back-to-back Minto Cups with the Six Nations Arrows and then he won his first Founders Cup with Akwesasne. Bomberry completed the summer by winning a silver medal with the Iroquois Nationals at the 2015 FIL World Indoor Lacrosse Championship. It was his second straight international medal after earning a bronze at the 2014 FIL World Lacrosse Championship.
Playing for the Iroquois has been an incredible experience, allowing Bomberry to play with his childhood idols, Cody Jamieson and Sid Smith of the Knighthawks.
“Playing with those guys was something else,” he said. “Being able to be on the same field with them was a dream come true. I started when I was young playing in the backyard and pretending I was ‘Jammer.’ I pretended I was Sid when I was playing with my cousins and my family members. To actually be able to play alongside them was a great feeling.”
Jamieson, who was an Iroquois assistant coach at the worlds in September, said that Bomberry made great strides during the two-week tournament. Facing the best players in the world, the defenseman proved he could handle the rigors of pro-level competition.
“That was probably the most impressive thing. It’s a big step playing against Canada, the U.S., and the Czech Republic. That’s NLL players and NLL quality players,” he said. “He jumped right in there and you couldn’t tell that he never played at that level before. I think that’s what our management saw. One of the things that stood out for me was how well he adapted. He didn’t miss a beat.”
Just one day after winning his latest medal, Bomberry was selected by the Knighthawks in the 2015 NLL Entry Draft. He said it was a “surreal moment” and one he plans to take full advantage of when the Knighthawks open Training Camp on Saturday, Nov. 21st.
“Lacrosse has taken me all over the world. I am so thankful I picked it up when I did when I was younger. It has taken me to places I never thought I would go,” said Bomberry. “It’s all for the game and the drive to succeed. I want to accomplish as much as I can while I can. It is going to be a big test. I am going to come into Training Camp ready and leave it all out on the floor.”
