Nikola Rakićević
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | January 14, 1997 Smederevska Palanka, FR Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Serbian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Buffalo (2015–2017) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2019: undrafted | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Nikola Rakićević (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Ракићевић; born January 14, 1997) is a Serbian professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Buffalo Bulls.
Early life[edit]
Rakićević played basketball for the youth teams of Crvena zvezda from 2012 to 2015. He was a member of the Crvena zvezda U18 team that won the 2014 Euroleague Next Generation tournament.[1] In February 2015, Rakićević participated at the NBA All-Star Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in New York City, NY.[2]
College career[edit]
As a freshman, Rakićević appeared in 20 games at the State University of New York at Buffalo in their 2015–16 season. On November 13, 2015, he recorded a career-best seven rebounds in the season opener against Pitt-Bradford. On December 29, he scored a career-high 14 points and added five rebounds against Delaware.[3]
As a sophomore, Rakićević appeared in 21 games in the Bulls' 2016–17 season before missing the final three games and the conference tournament due to a season-ending injury. He made three starts on the year and tied his career high with 14 points at Kent State as he went 6-of-11 from the floor. He had eight points against Ohio and scored four points in seven of his 21 games. He averaged 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.[4]
Rakićević wasn't in the Bulls rosters for the 2017–18 season. His departure was on medical grounds, primarily with his knee issues.[5] Also, Rakićević was ruled out for the entire 2018–19 season, his senior year.
International career[edit]
Rakićević was a member of the Serbian U-16 national basketball team that won the silver medal at the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in Ukraine. Over seven tournament games, he averaged 6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.[6] Also, he was a member of the Serbian U-17 national team that won the bronze medal at the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai, UAE. Over seven tournament games, he averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.[7] At the tournament's end, he was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Career achievements and awards[edit]
Youth level[edit]
- Euroleague Next Generation tournament champion: 2014
- Euroleague Next Generation Tournament runner-up: 2015
College[edit]
- Mid-American Conference champion: 2016
- Individual
- Mid-American Conference All-Academic First team: 2016–17[4]
Serbian national team[edit]
- Individual
Personal life[edit]
Rakićević is born in Smederevska Palanka, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia, to Saša and Jasmina. He has one sister.[3]
Rakićević earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University at Buffalo in 2019. He was a business office student assistant at the University at Buffalo School of Management from August 2017 until his graduation.
References[edit]
- ^ "IJT Crvena zvezda 55 - IJT Real Madrid 42". euroleague.net. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ "Basketball without borders and without Greeks". eurohoops.net. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Nikola Rakicevic Profile". ubbulls.com.
- ^ a b "Nikola Rakicevic Named To Academic All-MAC Team". ubbulls.com. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ "Nikola Rakićević will not return to Buffalo Bulls Men's Basketball". ubbullrun.com. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ "Serbia Player Profile, 8 - Nikola Rakicevic". archive.fiba.com. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ "Serbia Player Profile, 10 - Nikola Rakicevic". archive.fiba.com.