Two season-ending injuries and the wrath of the NCAA couldn’t stop FIU’s newest Panther from playing on the hard court.
Since his Cardinal days at the University of Louisville, Rakeem Buckles has endured some of the toughest times of his life. During the 2010-11 season, he suffered a concussion and tore his anterior cruciate ligament, just to name a few injuries.
But for the 6-7 redshirt senior and Miami native, the setbacks have taught him a lesson.
“It taught me patience more than anything,” Buckles said. “A lot of people want the instant gratification, like ‘I want everything right now’ and it just showed me that it’s a road map that everybody has to take. This is my road.”
Buckle’s college career never included FIU. Miami, Florida and Florida State recruited him, before Buckles decided to commit to Louisville during his junior year of high school—earlier than the average athlete committing their senior year.
The Cardinals’ coaching staff included two assistants who knew Buckles fairly well: Mark Lieberman, who coached Buckles at Monsignor Pace High School; and Richard Pitino, who recruited Buckles.
Buckles saw Pitino and Lieberman as other father figures in his life.
“Any problems I ever had, I went to him and my high school coach,” Buckles said. “Every move they make, every move I make, I have them on my mind. If I make this move, can it affect them? And vice versa.”
Those injuries at Louisville limited Buckles’ playing time and as he was recovering to get back on the court with his teammates, Pitino was already making plans for a new milestone in his career.
When FIU hired Pitino as head coach, the thought of following his mentor wasn’t an option at first, but as Buckles weighed his pros and cons, it was clear that a new life chapter would begin.
“I started thinking, ‘I have one year of basketball left, do I play at a top conference and split time with two or three other guys? Or do I go down to FIU and play in a lower level conference get some minutes for my future?’” Buckles said.
When Pitino’s first year at FIU began, Buckles’ didn’t. Due to NCAA transfer rules between two different Division I schools, he was forced to sit out his first year and watch from the bench. Another setback holding him back from his return.
Last spring as Buckles’ two-year hiatus came to an end there came more bad news: Pitino chose to continue his coaching career at the University of Minnesota after only one year at FIU.
“Initially I was a little upset but when I really thought about it, I put myself in his shoes,” Buckles said. “His dream is to become an elite coach at a elite school, and Minnesota is a big opportunity. So I really thought about that. That’s an amazing opportunity for him.”
Just as Buckles joined Pitino at Louisville, following his coach to Minnesota became option number one—until the NCAA decided to deny his waiver. “I was hurt,” Buckles said. “I thought I wasn’t going to be able to play college basketball anymore because they didn’t have a scholarship here [FIU].”
Rather than stop playing altogether, Buckles sat down with new head coach Anthony Evans and officially became a Panther.
According to Evans, Buckles seems to have established himself in a new setting, despite having missed out on basketball so long.
“I’m very impressed with Rakeem,” Evans said. “With everything he’s gone through, he still has a true passion for the game. He’s been one of our top players every game that we’ve played and I think as long as he continues to do that, he’s going to be fine.”
Some people may have given up after facing the turmoil of injuries and constant moves in such a short period of time, but for Buckles, it’s the lesson that he learned that only life can teach.
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve been through in my life,” Buckles said. “Now looking back at it, I’m glad it happened. It was a blessing in disguise.”
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