Chase Budinger InterviewBy: Joshua Motenko

Tell me about those workouts.
How have they been going so far?

Good. It’s been a long process. I’ve done so much traveling and
playing, there’ve been times when I’ve woken up in a hotel and forgotten where
I was. But I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback.

Can you rest a little? How many more workouts do you have before the draft?

I’ve got one more workout
and then I’m done. I mean, I’ve done 12 already.

Which players have you worked
out with, and who has impressed you?

I’ve worked out with Sam
Young, Terrence Williams, Gerald Henderson, Wayne Ellington, those guys…
oh, and Derrick Brown. They’re all good players, you know? Sam
has a strong body and is good driving to the basket, Terrence is athletic,
and he’s a good passer, Derrick is long. They’re all good.

What do you do better than
all those guys you just mentioned?

I think that my feel for the
game is going to translate in the NBA better than those guys.
I think I have better play-making abilities, and I think I’m a better
shooter. Those two things alone are what separate me.

Which teams are showing
the most interest at this point?

None of them more than others…
you know, I’ve gotten good feedback from Indiana Chicago Atlanta,
Dallas, and a lot of other teams – but I haven’t heard about anyone
specifically.

Based on your talent, where
do you think you should be appropriately picked?

Um… I think 13-18 is a good
range for me. But more importantly, I just want to get on a team
where I will be able to play and contribute. You know, I don’t
want to sit on the bench, so I’m looking for a situation where I can
get minutes, so it really doesn’t matter where I get picked.

Many scouts say that in
order to make it in the NBA, you have to have at least one skill that’s
transferable to the next level that can make you successful. What
would that be for you?

Shooting the ball. You know,
being able to knock down jump shots. Especially as a rookie I’m
sure I’ll have to rely on that. So I’m ready.

How has volleyball affected
your basketball?

I think it’s helped a lot
with peripheral vision, and jumping higher and teamwork. I think
that’s all from volleyball.

Who in your life has always
given you advice you can count on?

Definitely my parents… they’ve
been big supporters, and have always been there.

Tell me about your upbringing…
what was your family life like?

Well we had a very close family.
I was the youngest. I have both an older brother and sister, and
both are athletes. Both played volleyball in college and then
in Europe. That’s definitely where I got my competitive drive
from.

Were your parents athletes?

Uhmm, yeah, I guess.
My dad was a swimmer and played basketball in high school, but neither
of them were really star athletes.

What was your first basketball
memory?

Hmmm… well, I was always
that little kid at my older siblings games who would run out and shoot
the ball during timeouts and halftime. I was always into that.

Which NBA player did you
imitate growing up?

I didn’t try to imitate anyone really… I was always just watching
players closely… watching Kobe operate, seeing his footwork. I just watch
players and see what they do – learn from them.

Which player do you compare yourself to now?

I don’t compare myself to
anyone… I have a unique game.

Which past Arizona players
have given you advice about the draft process?

I’ve talked to Luke Walton,
Jason Terry and Andre Iguodala, and they have helped me a lot.
They all pretty much say the same thing, they talk about working hard
and the competitive drive that you have to have every time you step
in the gym. Oh, and they also talk about how this is the next
level, and now it’s a job. So you’re playing for your paycheck,
which makes it a completely different atmosphere. It’s a business.

With Sean Miller coming
in now do you think Arizona can regain their Pac 10 dominance?

Well, I do think Sean Miller
is definitely the right fit for Arizona… it’ll take a couple of
years for them to get back into the position they were in, but it will
happen. Sean Miller is good with recruits and the coaching side,
and he could coach them to become a top five program again.

Is there
anything more we need to know about you?

One little fact that’s kind
of cool is that throughout my college career I played in 100 out of
100 games and I was a starter in all of them. That’s kind of
a cool little fact especially since I had three different head coaches.