The 1.92m Nuggets guard grew up in Taranaki but played most of his basketball in Lower Hutt. He came down to Christchurch for a tournament and was then lured to Waitaki Boys' High School.
Former North Otago Penguins team-mate Ian Cathcart helped convince Buckrell to make the move to Oamaru.
Ironically, the old Penguins guardline is now on a collision course. Cathcart is in Invercargill playing for the Southland Sharks and Buckrell lives in Dunedin and is with the Nuggets.
The two sides will settle the lower South Island bragging rights at the Edgar Centre later this month.
Having slumped to five consecutive losses, the Nuggets are desperate to open their account this season and, arguably, have their best opportunity this weekend when they play the Taranaki Mountain Airs in Timaru.
Despite struggling to compete, the Nuggets made some positive strides against the same opposition last week. They lost 95-82, but five players got into double figures, including Buckrell.
The Junior Tall Black has found the step up from age group level to the National Basketball League a challenge, and admits he is still trying to find his place in the offence.
But there are some good signs the talented teenager is slowly finding his range. He drilled two three-pointers in a 10-point haul against Taranaki.
"We're playing against men now and you can't get away with what we did in the age group stuff," the rookie said.
"You've got to be that much more focused and really step up your game, otherwise you get exposed. The hardest thing has been dealing with the pressure those guys constantly put on you. I'm still adjusting to the different level of intensity."
Buckrell and Nuggets team-mate Tom Rowe represented New Zealand at the world under-19 championships in Auckland last year and got to play against the best emerging talent in the world.
Clearly, the pair have skills, but it takes time to be successful at the next level. Quality sides like the Waikato Pistons, the Nelson Giants and the Harbour Heat have had little trouble in dispatching the Nuggets.
Otago's two American imports, Tyler Amaya and Antoine Tisby, have had to carry a heavy load. Tisby has at least two defenders to deal with every time he gets the ball, and Amaya has been one of the few outside shooting options. The Nuggets have the lowest shooting percentages in the league and, defensively, they have not been able to restrict teams.
Coach Alf Arlidge believes his side has made improvements, but the Nuggets still have plenty of work ahead, and probably a lot more losses.
The Nuggets, who were not part of the league in 2009, have lost their last 14 games and the losing streak stretches back to April 2008.
Taranaki will look to American guards Jack Leasure and Tyrone Davey to get the offence going and to forwards Jeremiah Trueman and Demarshay Johnson to dominate the exchanges on the inside.
The Mountain Airs' 13-point victory was slightly flattering last week. The sides were tied 73-73 with 10min remaining, but the Nuggets fell off the pace and were outscored 22-9.
Taranaki pipped the Southland Sharks by a point, 82-81, in Invercargill on Thursday night. Leasure had 28 points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Mountain Airs.
In Auckland, Phill Jones led all scorers with 25 points but could not stop his Nelson Giants falling to an 83-79 loss to the Harbour Heat.
The Christchurch Cougars thumped the Manawatu Jets 85-68, and the Hawke's Bay Hawks thrashed the Wellington Saints 92-72.
• NUGGETS v MOUNTAIN AIRS
- Timaru, today, 7pm
Otago Nuggets: Antoine Tisby, Tyler Amaya, Matt Gillan, Steve Robinson, Sam To'omata, James Ross, Riki Buckrell, Tom Rowe, Matt Trueman, Luke Aston.
Taranaki Mountain Airs: Tyrone Davey, Eli Paurini, Josh Paurini, Tim Cleaver, Alex Wastney, Peter Northcott, Jordan Mills, Aaron Bailey-Nowell, Jeremiah Trueman, Demarshay Johnson, Todd Fisher, Jack Leasure.\
