Rakeem Buckles

Height:
6-7
Weight:
215
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Miami, Fla.
High School:
Monsignor Pace

Sophomore Year:

Tough sophomore season with three separate injuries keeping him off the court (concussion, broken finger, torn ACL).
Suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in the first half against Pitt on Feb. 27 which ended his season. He had surgery March 16 to repair the knee. It was the third injury this season that has forced him to the sidelines, also having a concussion and broken finger earlier this season that have kept him out of action.
Broke his left index finger during practice on Dec. 30 and returned to practice six weeks after the injury on Feb. 10. He had surgery to repair the injury on Dec. 30, which included the insertion of five pins at the renowned Hand Care Center at Jewish Hospital. He missed the Cardinals' games against Kentucky and their first 11 BIG EAST games, then returned for five games before the knee injury.
Cards' top rebounder (6.1) who ranked ninth in the BIG EAST before his injury (7.5 at the time). He had seven or more rebounds in seven games this season.
Had 15 points, six rebounds and a career-high four assists at Western Kentucky when he connected on all three of his three-point attempts. Suffered a concussion against Drexel and missed UofL's game vs. Gardner-Webb.
Scored in double figures in five games as a sophomore and had three double-digit rebounding efforts.
Totaled 12 points, a career-high 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals against South Alabama, his second double-double of the season and third of his career.
Opened the season with 17 points, 11 rebounds and three steals against Butler.

Freshman Year:

Finished his freshman year scoring a career-high 20 points against California in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He added nine rebounds while hitting 10-of-11 field goals.
Contributed eight points -- the second most of his career and his most in 20 games -- and added four rebounds and a key block late in the game as the Cardinals won at Syracuse.
Made 13 of his last 16 free throws (.812), spanning his last 13 games.
Had seven points and four rebounds at Marquette.
Starter at Seton Hall, contributing seven points and six rebounds in 17 minutes.
Had five points and two rebounds against Rutgers.
Totaled five points, five rebounds and two steals against Villanova in 15 minutes of action.
Had six points and six rebounds against USF in the Cardinals' BIG EAST Conference opener.
Produced his first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds at UNLV, his second straight double-digit rebounding effort.
Strong effort off the bench against Appalachian State with six points and 10 rebounds.
Scored eight points in 12 minutes against East Tennessee State.

High School:

Averaged 22.8 points, 13.1 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots as a senior in helping Monsignor Pace post a 24-8 record and the Class 4A regional finals, where it lost to eventual state champion Cocoa.
Honored as the Class 4A Player of the Year in Florida at Monsignor Pace, which won the state championship in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Ranked No. 36 in the Rivals.com class of 2009 (No. 11 power forward), 47th by USA Today analyst Rob Harrington, No. 67 by Scout.com and No. 78 among the ESPN 100.
Averaged 12.6 points and 9.7 rebounds as a junior when Monsignor Pace finished with a 23-9 record and won its second straight Class 4A Florida state championship.
Third-team all-state selection by the Florida Sports Writers Association as a junior, when he also earned first-team All-Dade County honors by the Miami Herald.
Scored a team-high 26 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Black Squad in the Wazoo Sports Derby Festival Classic All-Star game played in Freedom Hall.
Scored 15 points to help the Miami-Dade County All-Stars to a 102-96 victory over the Broward County All-Stars.
Also considered Miami, Florida, Florida State and Cincinnati before signing with the Cardinals.

Personal:

Born Nov. 15, 1990 ... Son of Ronald and Sabrina Buckles ... Has one younger sister (Precyous Reese) and four older siblings (Marquetta Wright, Roderick Mitchell, Treco Conley, Ronald Buckles) ... Major is undecided.
Personal goal at U of L is to win a national championship.
Enjoys bowling and collecting hats in his spare time.
Chose to attend U of L because of Coach Pitino.
Best basketball advice given to him was "no pain, no gain."
Most proud of going to college.
His parents had the greatest influence on his athletic career.
Feels Will Smith would be the best actor to play him in a movie.
When he played basketball as a kid, he pretended he was Kevin Garnett.
Winning a state championship in high school was the best moment of his athletic career to date.
If you walked into his dorm room, the first thing you would notice is that "I love hats."
What impresses him the most about Coach Pitino: His determination to make others better.
Would most like to meet Barack Obama.