All Things Rakeem Buckles Thread

Is it just me, or does 215 lbs for being 6'8 seem a little bit on the light side? Maybe I am just so used to seeing Mbakwe's frame out there that it is clouding my perception.
 

Disclaimer: I don't much about this, other than what I've read here.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but is there any chance this guy could be a complete bust? I mean, 2 ACL surgeries. Won't have played in almost 2 years, this fall. We already have Mo Walker for hobbling around out there.
 

Disclaimer: I don't much about this, other than what I've read here.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but is there any chance this guy could be a complete bust? I mean, 2 ACL surgeries. Won't have played in almost 2 years, this fall. We already have Mo Walker for hobbling around out there.

There's a chance, but the risk is still low in this case. He'd only have one year of eligibility so he wouldn't take up a scholarship for the 2014 class.
 

Is it just me, or does 215 lbs for being 6'8 seem a little bit on the light side? Maybe I am just so used to seeing Mbakwe's frame out there that it is clouding my perception.

I was Thinking the Same thing, definitely on the light side.
 

Disclaimer: I don't much about this, other than what I've read here.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but is there any chance this guy could be a complete bust? I mean, 2 ACL surgeries. Won't have played in almost 2 years, this fall. We already have Mo Walker for hobbling around out there.

:p
 


Was doing a little research on NCAA Transfer rules and came across this.

Five-year clock — If you play at a Division I school, you
have five-calendar years in which to play four seasons of
competition. Your five-year clock starts when you enroll
as a full-time student at any college. Thereafter, your
clock continues, even if you spend an academic year in
residence as a result of transferring, decide to red shirt,
if you do not attend school or even if you go part-time
during your college career.


Would this mean that Buckles would have to play this upcoming season and couldn't be eligible the following...or is there some other stipulation that would allow this 5-Year Clock to become moot?

Five Year Rule waivers are available in certain circumstances where a player has missed two years of competition due circumstances outside of the student-athlete's and the institution's control (for example, being out two years with an injury before being cleared by the doctors to play).

The short story is there's a waiver available for many rules and the NCAA tends to work in mysterious ways.
 

Is it just me, or does 215 lbs for being 6'8 seem a little bit on the light side? Maybe I am just so used to seeing Mbakwe's frame out there that it is clouding my perception.

For comparison sake, according to the Gopher roster, Oto is listed at 6'8", 205 and Buggs listed at 6'8, 198. So there's not a lot of bulk on any of these guys. Better hit the weight room this summer, men.
 

Disclaimer: I don't much about this, other than what I've read here.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but is there any chance this guy could be a complete bust? I mean, 2 ACL surgeries. Won't have played in almost 2 years, this fall. We already have Mo Walker for hobbling around out there.

I was wondering about this myself. I'm thinking of Creek from Indiana. Was one of the best freshmen in the country at one point, two fractured kneecaps and a torn achilles tendon later, he's at the bottom of the bench.
 




For comparison sake, according to the Gopher roster, Oto is listed at 6'8", 205 and Buggs listed at 6'8, 198. So there's not a lot of bulk on any of these guys. Better hit the weight room this summer, men.

Some players can not gain weight. I don't believe Oto will blossom in his 4th year in the program. Buggs said recently he has gained 5 lbs since coming to the U, and is now 6-9, 200 lbs. Hopefully Coach P. can fill the blackhole at the 4 with a transfer. I don't know if Foster is still in the picture, but IMO at 6-8, 219 lbs, both of which appear to be close from the films I've watched, is ready to give us minutes.
 

You don't need NBA sized PFs in college, especially in a pressing up tempo system like Pitino's. Very few teams have big thick guys at the PF and C positions. The Trevor Mbakwe's and Patric Young's are outliers not the norm.
 

I like this move if he is eligible to play this year and if he only has a year left so it would keep a scholarship open for the 2014 class, if he isn't eligible to play right away than I'm not really sure about taking him.
 

I like this move if he is eligible to play this year and if he only has a year left so it would keep a scholarship open for the 2014 class, if he isn't eligible to play right away than I'm not really sure about taking him.

+1
 



Let me get this straight......this board is speculating on a transfer Buckles who has TWO ACL tears and as a junior averaged 4.5 points a game? If he transfers here or not what do you reasonably think he is going to help us with? I would much rather have Redshirt Freshman Charles Buggs out there getting valuable minutes with OTO coming off the bench to fill role for 10 minutes a game and if Foster our incoming Freshman is ready let him play minutes. Bringing in a guy who can only play one year who may give us 5-7 points a game is worthless.
 

Let me get this straight......this board is speculating on a transfer Buckles who has TWO ACL tears and as a junior averaged 4.5 points a game? If he transfers here or not what do you reasonably think he is going to help us with? I would much rather have Redshirt Freshman Charles Buggs out there getting valuable minutes with OTO coming off the bench to fill role for 10 minutes a game and if Foster our incoming Freshman is ready let him play minutes. Bringing in a guy who can only play one year who may give us 5-7 points a game is worthless.

Well he was the 36th ranked player in his class and was good enough to get good playing time on Louisville until he caught an injury bug. Don't think it's crazy to think he could help out more than Oto. I'm all for Buggs getting as much playing time as possible, but he isn't going to play the whole game, we need front court help.
 

Let me get this straight......this board is speculating on a transfer Buckles who has TWO ACL tears and as a junior averaged 4.5 points a game? If he transfers here or not what do you reasonably think he is going to help us with? I would much rather have Redshirt Freshman Charles Buggs out there getting valuable minutes with OTO coming off the bench to fill role for 10 minutes a game and if Foster our incoming Freshman is ready let him play minutes. Bringing in a guy who can only play one year who may give us 5-7 points a game is worthless.

Hate to say it, but I agree with this, except for the Oto part. I say bring in Buckles to compete with Buggs for minutes but I'd rather see Buggs out there for the long-term look. Buckles just doesn't have the stats in college ball to be getting this excited over, even if we overlook the injuries.
 

Let me get this straight......this board is speculating on a transfer Buckles who has TWO ACL tears and as a junior averaged 4.5 points a game? If he transfers here or not what do you reasonably think he is going to help us with? I would much rather have Redshirt Freshman Charles Buggs out there getting valuable minutes with OTO coming off the bench to fill role for 10 minutes a game and if Foster our incoming Freshman is ready let him play minutes. Bringing in a guy who can only play one year who may give us 5-7 points a game is worthless.

A healthy Buckles is by far,better than any forward we have on the roster right now besides maybe Buggs if he really steps up right away.
 

Let me get this straight......this board is speculating on a transfer Buckles who has TWO ACL tears and as a junior averaged 4.5 points a game? If he transfers here or not what do you reasonably think he is going to help us with? I would much rather have Redshirt Freshman Charles Buggs out there getting valuable minutes with OTO coming off the bench to fill role for 10 minutes a game and if Foster our incoming Freshman is ready let him play minutes. Bringing in a guy who can only play one year who may give us 5-7 points a game is worthless.

Bleedgold- the important bit is when he is eligible. If he is eligible next year for only one year then this is a really good insurance policy with no risk. I'd rather fill the roster with a one year guy than with a so-so summer signing that holds a roster spot for 4 more years. We haven't seen anything from Oto. He might improve and I hope he does. Buggs- I'm very optimistic about him, but what if he gets injured? Or what if he isn't really ready?

I agree with your idea of building the right way with 4 year guys for the long term. However, I see little downside to giving Buckles a go and I trust that Pitino has a really good idea of what he can do for us in his system. If Buckles is not able to play next year- then I would say no- not a good move because we don't want to block out one of the 2014 class schollys.
 

Let me get this straight......this board is speculating on a transfer Buckles who has TWO ACL tears and as a junior averaged 4.5 points a game? If he transfers here or not what do you reasonably think he is going to help us with? I would much rather have Redshirt Freshman Charles Buggs out there getting valuable minutes with OTO coming off the bench to fill role for 10 minutes a game and if Foster our incoming Freshman is ready let him play minutes. Bringing in a guy who can only play one year who may give us 5-7 points a game is worthless.

Were you upset when we got a transfer from Marquette who only averaged 1.5 ppg too?
 

Were you upset when we got a transfer from Marquette who only averaged 1.5 ppg too?

You are comparing Buckles' three years of stats at Louisville to Mbakwe's one-and-done at Marquette? Buckles also has a series of injuries that Mbakwe didn't have, and has two less years of eligibility with Minnesota. Chill out brah
 

You are comparing Buckles' three years of stats at Louisville to Mbakwe's one-and-done at Marquette? Buckles also has a series of injuries that Mbakwe didn't have, and has two less years of eligibility with Minnesota. Chill out brah

Mbakwe had some serious injuries on his resume when we offered him a scholarship. Buckles was also ranked as the 36th best player in his class by Rivals. Rivals had Trevor as the 42nd best at his POSITION. There is definitely reason to like the potential of Buckles transferring to the U. If you can't see that I don't know what to say other than maybe you are just trolling.
 

If our goal is to win games, bring Buckels on and let him play! By thew way, regarding Oto, he should really be playing D2 ball. He is not B1G caliber - Too slow, cannot shoot, and gets beat off the dribble almost every time....
 

If our goal is to win games, bring Buckels on and let him play! By thew way, regarding Oto, he should really be playing D2 ball. He is not B1G caliber - Too slow, cannot shoot, and gets beat off the dribble almost every time....

Kind of like you on GopherHole? Too slow, cannot shoot, and babbles almost every time. :)
 


You are comparing Buckles' three years of stats at Louisville to Mbakwe's one-and-done at Marquette? Buckles also has a series of injuries that Mbakwe didn't have, and has two less years of eligibility with Minnesota. Chill out brah

The fact that he would only have one year of eligibility is actually a positive thing in this situation (if he could play next year). We have three open scholarships next year which will either be left open, will be filled by transfers, or will be filled by walk-ons Halvorsen and Shell. There's really no risk to giving him a scholarship for one year (leaving it open for the 2014 class), especially when our options at PF are Buggs (unproven redshirt freshman) and Oto (who shouldn't play D1).
 


The fact that he would only have one year of eligibility is actually a positive thing in this situation (if he could play next year). We have three open scholarships next year which will either be left open, will be filled by transfers, or will be filled by walk-ons Halvorsen and Shell. There's really no risk to giving him a scholarship for one year (leaving it open for the 2014 class), especially when our options at PF are Buggs (unproven redshirt freshman) and Oto (who shouldn't play D1).

Exactly. If he can play this year, this move has a few benefits and really doesn't have any downside. Buckles can provide depth up front with EE, Mo, Buggs, Foster, and Oto for a year and still leaves a scholarship open for 2014. Nobody is proclaiming Buckles to be the savior at the PF position.
 

Gophers to add power forward Rakeem Buckles from Florida International?
If he was allowed to play right away at Minnesota, it could be the best of both worlds for the Gophers. They are thin in the frontcourt with Rodney Williams, Trevor Mbakwe and Andre Ingram all departing, but at the same time Buckles would only be on scholarship for one season, leaving it open again for the loaded class of 2014 prep players.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/202145641.html
 

With four scholerships available and only one player signed to loi we kind of need bodies, at least one more could be signed and maybe two without impacting the next couple of years, a player that has one year of eligibility left that knows Pitino's system would be that much better.
 

Gophers to add power forward Rakeem Buckles from Florida International?
If he was allowed to play right away at Minnesota, it could be the best of both worlds for the Gophers. They are thin in the frontcourt with Rodney Williams, Trevor Mbakwe and Andre Ingram all departing, but at the same time Buckles would only be on scholarship for one season, leaving it open again for the loaded class of 2014 prep players.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/202145641.html

•FIU point guard Malik Smith has announced publicly that he wants to transfer. He hasn't made it clear where, yet, but on Wednesday night after Pitino was announced as the new head coach at Minnesota, Smith posted the following on Instagram: "Thanks to FIU for the opportunity to do something special and help turn a program around. With that being said, I’ll be asking for my release some time next week and taking my talents to a different university. Coach Pitino helped show me what hard work was and I’ll forever appreciate it. With him and the rest of my teammates the best in the future. Everything happens for a reason."
 




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