Mukiya Post has been a leader on and off the court for the past two seasons
Fifth-year guard for the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team, Mukiya Post will hang up his Stingers maroon and gold once and for all at the end of the season. Post has scored 465 points in his two years with the Stingers and has been one of their true leaders on the court. It was a meaningful journey to play university basketball for the Victoria, B.C. native, one that he will never forget.
Post first picked up playing basketball when he came to Canada from Jamaica. “I remember playing for fun at lunchtime in elementary school,” he said.
Post became more involved in the sport and found his passion when playing at Oak Bay High School.
“I got to high school where I fell in love with basketball, I loved to shoot and also loved to practice. It drove me to be the best that I can be,” Post said.
Post played college basketball at Quest University in 2010, and then after one year, made the long trip to basketball powerhouse Champlain College, Saint-Lambert, where he played alongside future Stingers teammate, Gabe Ritche.
It was at Champlain where Post caught the attention of Bishop’s Gaiters men’s basketball head coach, Rod Gilpin and his dream of playing in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) league became a reality.
Post spent one season with the Gaiters which was a successful year for him as he led the CIS in free throw percentage with 92.9 per cent and also averaged 11 points per game.
After the 2011-12 season, Post transferred to Concordia. Looking back now on how far he’s come and the different stops along the way, Post was very humble about his journey.
“I’m proud of myself for the sacrifices I made and the work I put in to getting to the CIS level.”
Post’s decision to play for Concordia for the last two years was helped by the reputation of Stingers head coach, John Dore.
“I heard great things about him and I liked his coaching style,” said Post. “Coach Dore taught me the values of competing and always trying to do your best whether it’s being a student or in a game.”
When Post is not excelling on the court, he is working with the foundation he created during his time off from playing basketball after Bishop’s. Pass the Ball is a non-profit organization whose mission is to collect and ship sports equipment to youth organizations, orphanages and schools in the Caribbean.
In November 2014, Post was awarded a $2,000 bursary from the Fondation de l’athlete d’excellence du Québec (FAEQ) for his foundation and the leadership role he provided for the Stingers. Post also volunteers his free time every Thursday to being a big brother to eight-year-old Jesse. “I never had a male presence around when I was growing up and I know that some of the kids in big brother/big sisters are in the same situation,” said Post.
Dore describes Post as being an ideal Stinger on and off the court.
“I think he has matured as a player on the court this year as he is making better decisions and also has been our leading scorer,” said Dore. “I admire [him] for all of things he has done off the court with his foundation and big brothers.”
Long-time teammate Riche describes Post as the key to Stingers success this year.
“When he gets the ball, he just wants to score and if we want to win we are going to need him to keep on doing that,” said Richie. “He is a good guy to have around because he cares about people and the community.”
Post will be done playing basketball with the Stingers after this year but will still be at Concordia next year finishing up his history degree and writing his LSAT.
Post hopes in the next few weeks the Stingers can win a championship as they head into the post-season.
“I could come back to Concordia in the near future and see our team banner that we won hanging in the gym, now that would be a great legacy,” he said.