As he inches closer to becoming an Arizona Wildcat, incoming freshman Chase Budinger will share the national stage with 23 other All-Americans today in his hometown of San Diego in the annual McDonald’s All-American basketball game.
The game will be televised from the Peterson Gym at San Diego State University at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Budinger, a 6-foot-7, 190-pound small forward from Carlsbad, Calif., is a five-star prospect ranked No. 10 in his recruiting class, according to the recruiting Web site Rivals.com, who averaged 31.0 points and 12.5 rebounds per game and was also highly recruited as a volleyball player coming out of high school.
Budinger will play for the West team under Fairfax (Calif.) High School head coach Harvey Kitani after reaching the finals of the Powerade Jam Fest on Monday.
Duke recruit and eventual champion Gerald Henderson, a four-star guard ranked No. 33, won the contest, which undecided five-star prospect Darrell Arthur, ranked No. 19, also participated in.
Arizona hopes to nab Arthur, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward from Dallas, Texas, who averaged 17.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game in his senior season, with its last remaining scholarship.
Current and former Wildcats who have played in the McDonald’s All-American game include Jawann McClellan, Mustafa Shakur, Richard Jefferson, Mike Bibby and Jason Gardner.
Other players who have signed letters of intent with Pacific 10 Conference schools include Spencer Hawes (Washington), James Keefe (UCLA), and Brook and Robin Lopez (Stanford).
