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Louisville basketball: Ten former Cardinals for “The Basketball Tournament”

By Presley Meyer

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 31: (L-R) Russ Smith #2 and Peyton Siva #3 of the Louisville Cardinals answers questions from the media during their post game press conference following their win against the Duke Blue Devils during the Midwest Regional Final round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 31, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 31: (L-R) Russ Smith #2 and Peyton Siva #3 of the Louisville Cardinals answers questions from the media during their post game press conference following their win against the Duke Blue Devils during the Midwest Regional Final round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 31, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KY – DECEMBER 31: Rakeem Buckles #4 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball while defended by Anthony Davis #23 and Terrence Jones #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats during 69-62 Kentucky win at Rupp Arena on December 31, 2011 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Rakeem Buckles

Rakeem Buckles is a former Card who is still playing at a very high level as a professional.

He spent last season playing for Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli national league, and for Lille in France the year prior.

Buckles played a lot of forward in Louisville, but he has been special as a lengthy guard during his stint in European leagues.

Buckles has shown the ability to get to the bucket aggressively and also has improved on his 3-point range since college. At 29 years old, he would be a great fit for this Louisville pro squad because of his versatility and experience against very similar talent.

Fans were robbed of seeing Buckles ever reach his true potential as a Cardinal as he dealt with nagging injuries throughout the majority of his career before moving on to play for FIU.

Buckles is a perfect example of the culture that Rick Pitino built at Louisville, as a lot of guys weren’t quite ready for the NBA or didn’t fit the mold of the league but haven’t been deterred from having big-time overseas careers. The former Cardinal has shown perseverance fighting through injuries and getting a chance to win that grand prize would be a great story.

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