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Arizona basketball: 30 Greatest Wildcats of all time

By Shereen Rayan

TUCSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 22: Former Arizona Wildcats basketball coach Lute Olson waves to fans as he walks with wife Kelly Pugnea during the first half of the college football game against the Utah Utes at Arizona Stadium on September 22, 2017 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TUCSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 22: Former Arizona Wildcats basketball coach Lute Olson waves to fans as he walks with wife Kelly Pugnea during the first half of the college football game against the Utah Utes at Arizona Stadium on September 22, 2017 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Arizona Basketball Greatest Player No. 22 – Chase Budinger

Position: Small Forward

Years at Arizona: 2006-2009

College Stats: 17.0 pts, 5.8 reb, 2.8 Ast, 1.3 stl, 0.4 blk

College Awards: 

2006 McDonald’s All-America Game co-MVP
2006 California Mr. Basketball
2007 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year
2008 3rd-team All-Pac-10
2009 1st-team All-Pac-10

NBA Draft: 2009 / Round: 2 / Pick: 44th overall Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Years in the NBA: Seven

Chase Budinger was selected 44th over pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 2009 NBA draft after leaving Arizona after his junior year. Both a volleyball and basketball player at La Costa Canyon High School, the McDonald’s All-American led his basketball team to the 2006 CIF San Diego title.

Budinger Committed to Arizona after being heavily recruited by many schools including USC and UCLA. He averaged 15.6 points in his freshman season and started in all 30 games. In his sophomore year, he tested the NBA Draft waters but did not hire an agent. He returned to Arizona and then declared for the draft in 2009.

On draft night the Pistons traded Chase to the Houston Rockets where he spent four years. In 2011, Budinger scored a career-high 35 points on 12 of 21 shooting, including 4 for 8 from 3-point range in his final game of the season against the Timberwolves.

Budinger is a dunker! He was invited to participate in the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest. One of his dunks was a wheelhouse slam over P. Diddy. The second was a blindfolded reverse dunk where he honored  Cedric Ceballos,  a former Slam Dunk Contest winner Cedric Ceballos, He came in second, like Aaron Gordon, to Jeremy Evans. He is now a professional volleyball player.

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