Chasing Arizona By Carly Bartkiewicz
La Costa Canyon grad Chase Budinger jumps from record-setting high school career into the bright lights of the NCAA.

The hoarding of accolades, steady hype and court superiority defined Chase Budinger throughout his basketball and volleyball careers at La Costa Canyon High School. He was The Man.

When Budinger graduated last spring, his name was attached to the top high school athletic award in the state. He made the domination of San Diego County basketball teams look as smooth as Shaun White launching his body around a half pipe.

But even when Budinger scored an onslaught of points, you never knew it until after the score sheet had been tallied. “He wasn’t forcing shots,” stated his La Costa Canyon basketball coach David Cassaw. “He would make points off rebounding.”

Described by his old coach as a low-key guy, Budinger could be found before games stretching out on the court with his headphones securely in place, just like the rest of the guys. No antics. He was even nicknamed The Student in high school because he looked like just a regular guy. Then he would go “shock the eye and jump out of the gym,” Cassaw stated.

Eyes continue to follow the 18 year old as his basketball career catapults to the college level at the University of Arizona as a heavily recruited freshman — the most heavily pursued freshman under Wildacts head coach Lute Olson’s tenure.

“I saw him more than any other kid I’ve seen in my 23 years at Arizona,” Olson stated. “We used every legal visit and evaluation time that we could.”

In making the decision of where to go, Budinger’s final four came down to the University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California, University of Kansas and Arizona. He could have played volleyball at UCLA or USC, but realized with the seasons overlapping and his desire to concentrate on a single sport, volleyball became a non-factor.

Olson and his assistant coaches had also been watching Budinger since he was a high school freshman — before they could even approach him — and it made a difference. “One of the things that stood out for me was that they started recruiting me when I was young,” Budinger stated. “They already had me in the spotlight.”

The bright lights now shine down from Arizona's McKale Memorial Center and from the bevy of big-time arenas the Wildcats visit. Millions more onlookers are calculating Budinger’s freshman potential in front of their high-definition television screens via major network broadcasts. Budinger and the orange, inflated ball he is so often associated now have the national stage.

From Mavericks to Wildcats

Arizona’s storied basketball history was something Budinger knew well before signing on. The Wildcats have made 22 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament. Lute Olson is entering his 24th year as head coach of the team.

Budinger, an Encinitas native, really started watching Arizona on television when he was in middle school. The night before he left for college he had dinner with a few Wildcats basketball alums, including Steve Kerr and Jud Buechler, at Kerr’s house.

“It was fun,” Budinger stated. “They told me all the places to eat, how to manage your time and how much fun college is.”

The 6-foot-7 forward showed the university why they hustled to offer him a full-ride scholarship during a La Costa Canyon senior year that included a San Diego Division 1 sectional title. He scored 50 points in the game against Chula Vista’s Eastlake High School to win that title and finished as the section’s career scoring leader with 2,930 points.

Unlike most college freshman, his mom and dad are not the only ones curious about their son's transition. Budinger’s hometown following is considerable, and since he is playing in the Pac-10 Conference — which includes close-proximity–schools such as UCLA and USC — the entourage can stay tuned in to his basketball life.

Breeding Ground

Of all the great athletes to come out of San Diego County, Budinger adds to a list that includes Ted Williams, Bill Walton and Reggie Bush. Locally and nationally, people want to know how far Budinger’s high school court mastery will take him.

“The NBA pays on potential,” Cassaw stated. “He has a lot of potential.”

Budinger won state Boys Athlete of the Year, state basketball Player of the Year, state volleyball Player of the Year and volleyball National Player of the Year as named by Volleyball Magazine, during his senior seasons. He was the first three-time Athlete of the Year as selected by The San Diego Union-Tribune, and was also co-Most Valuable Player in March's McDonald's All-American High School game played in San Diego.

“As soon as I saw him, I knew he could become one of the best players in the country,” Olson said. “He’s a great passer, very unselfish. Guys love to play with him because he’s all about team.”

The difference, of course, this year from high school is that Budinger will be guarding talented players everyday, in games and in practice, where he has been going up against one of the most consistent Wildcats in 2005-06, Marcus Williams. “It’s been so great for improving my defense,” Budinger stated of the training.

When He Was a Kid…

Mothers always have the best stories about their sons. Mara Budinger remembered a story about Chase that foreshadowed his decision to enroll in Arizona’s school of business.

According to Mara, Chase is the family’s Mr. Savings Account, and whether it’s birthday or graduation money, he takes it straight to the bank. “He’s the money guy,” Mara states.

The Budingers had a large vase that Chase would fill with spare change found around the house when he was growing up. “He’d pick change up off the counter,” Mara stated. He’d find pennies, nickels and dimes underneath the couch cushions. And every so often Mara would let Chase have the pool of rattling change that collected in the bottom of her purse. After several years of saving cast-off coinage, the vase ended up totaling more than $800. Chase diligently put what had become substantial money — not just piles of pennies — into his savings account.

“Not a Nicer Person”

People describe Budinger as reserved and pretty quiet, but that is only part of the story.

“There’s not a nicer person out there than Chase,” Olson stated. “I can’t think of one thing about Chase I would want to change.” Olson referred both to his play and personality.

His prior coach, Cassaw, used a similar description. Cassaw stated how Budinger’s competitiveness led his teams, and how he carried the respect of all his teammates. “He has unique character,” Cassaw stated. “What people perceive as pressure, he just enjoyed.”

Budinger’s family has also always been there as a support group for his big games and big decisions. Both of his older siblings, sister Brittanie and brother Duncan Jr., played volleyball in college, so he had their experiences to learn from. His parents, Duncan and Mara, always pushed school with sports, so that if the ball dropped, he’d have something to fall back on.

“I know I have to have a Plan B,” Budinger stated. “I have to do something after basketball.”

Now living in the present as a college freshman, he likes to play poker, listen to hip hop music and relax with friends. Budinger’s focus for the first time in his athletic career may be on basketball, but he still loves a game of volleyball down on the coastal sands. Learning to live on his own in college has been a work in progress, but after about a month, he seems to be getting the routine down.

“It’s been tough and I was pretty stressed out,” Budinger stated. Finding all of his classes, getting books, going to practice and dealing with a bout of tonsillitis that came on during a preseason tournament in British Columbia, Canada, all took adjusting to.

“Things have calmed down,” he stated. For instance, he’s learned how to do his own laundry. And while Budinger is working on the simple things, he knows how lucky he is to experience some of the big things, such as meeting and playing basketball against Michael Jordan this past summer.

“Words can’t explain how cool that was,” Budinger stated. Budinger helped out at Jordan’s Flight School basketball camp in Santa Barbara, where he was able to train and work on his technical game. He also got to mingle with NBA greats Alonzo Mourning, Charles Oakley and Jordan.

“He told me I had a good sense of the game,” Budinger stated from a discussion with Jordan. “He told me to keep working on the fundamentals.”

It is those fundamentals that will keep Budinger’s career on the upward climb. The Arizona freshman plans to play in the NBA, but no timeline is set. Budinger also has the foresight to look past an NBA career, when he hopes to own his own business some day.

“We’re not worried about our players being drafted,” Olson stated in regard to the NBA. “We’re more interested in them making a career of the NBA.” Olson does not want to see a player go in and then quickly fizzle out.

When Olson first saw Budinger play, he states that he reminded him of Sean Elliott, who was Arizona’s only National Player of the Year in 1988-89. Elliott also had a long, celebrated NBA career.

“Chase is even a better athlete,” Olson stated. Whether Budinger decides to make the jump to the NBA sooner than later, “it’ll depend on how much he likes his college experience,” Olson stated. “We’ll help him with his maturity. We’ll be with him every day.”

Back to the Game

Budinger loves basketball because the game is like an addiction for him. When he doesn’t have it, he craves it. When he was sick with tonsillitis in September and couldn’t play for a couple weeks, he was frustrated. But what he says motivates him are the spectators of the game, the kids looking up to him and just all-around sports enthusiasts.

“I play for the fans,” Budinger stated. There is nothing like a packed house full of fan fury and excitement. Even when some of those fans are hostile ones, such as those Budinger went up against at rival high schools, where they used to blow up pictures of his head and put it on sticks and have chants directed at him to try to throw off his game. “I just try to go out there and have fun,” he stated.

Budinger will have the chance to play in front of his hometown crowd again when Arizona takes on San Diego State, December 9, at SDSU. “I’m pretty excited about that game,” Budinger stated. “I know I have a lot of fans rooting for me.”

Although expectations for the Wildcats at the beginning of last season were high and the team only finished 20-13, losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Villanova, the goals will again be lofty in 2006-07. With key players returning, Budinger is optimistic. “We have a really good team,” Budinger stated.

The La Costa Canyon prodigy will have his chance to prove that true with his coach’s support. And Coach Olson predicts, “Chase will be one of our best players.” •