UA basketball forward Chase Budinger was named the U.S. Bank Pacific 10 Conference men’s basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 26-Feb. 1, league commissioner Tom Hansen announced Monday.
The junior helped the Wildcats seal a pair of wins against then-No. 23 Washington and Washington State on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, in McKale Center. The Encinitas, Calif. native averaged 22 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists and he didn’t turn the ball over in either game last week.
Budinger netted his Pac-10 season-high 25 points to go with eight boards and four assists against the Huskies.
Two days later, he registered a double-double with 19 points – despite scoring just two points in the first half – 11 rebounds, and a career-high seven assists.
“”I needed to stop settling for jump shots, and I needed just to get to the rim, get to the free-throw line, and that’s what I did,”” Budinger said after the win against WSU. “”… I was able to stretch my game after that.””
Budinger is the third UA player to earn a Pac-10 Player of the Week award, following Jordan Hill (Dec. 15) and Jamelle Horne (Dec. 29). It marks the second time Budinger has earned the award, and the 74th all-time award for a Wildcat.
